The Florida Panthers have re-upped restricted free agent forward Mackie Samsokevich to one-year contract at the league minimum of $775K.
Samoskevich scored 15 goals and added 16 assists in his first full big-league season in 2024-25 He appeared in 72 games after playing in seven NHL games in 2023-24. His 31 points were tied for eleventh-most on the team with defenseman Gustav Forsling. Five of his goals were game-winners, matching Carter Verhaeghe for tops on the club.
The 22-year-old picked up his first NHL point (an assist) on home ice in 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on October 17. He scored his first career goal on October 26, a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. His best month of the season was March, when he lit the lamp four times and collected five assists in 13 games.
Samsokevich made his playoff debut on April 22, in Round 1, Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena and set up Sam Bennett’s series-opening goal 3:44 into the first period. He played in Game 2 and Game 3 of that series and made his final postseason appearance in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After signing Samoskevich for $775K, the Cats are projected to be $3.725M over the salary cap with a full 23-man active roster (14F/7D/2G).
With no leverage for the player, Samsokevich’s new contract is a flat-out bargain. Expect him to rewarded with a longer, much more lucrative deal next summer.