FORT LAUDERDALE— The Florida Panthers will welcome back an old friend tonight when they play host to the Seattle Kraken.
Mackie Samoskevich was traded to the Kraken on June 21 to help the Panthers facilitate the Brady Tkachuk trade later that day.
Florida got a first-round pick for Samoskevich — who is the last player the Panthers have taken in the first round of an NHL draft way back in 2021 — which was part of the package that went to Seattle.
"Lot of great memories, lot of great relationships," said Samoskevich, who spent parts of three seasons with the Panthers. "Definitely feels good to be back here. … Different being on this side, but glad to be back."
In Seattle, Samoskevich has certainly gotten a chance to shine playing up on the top line as well as on the Kraken's first power play unit.
Samoskevich has three goals and four points in his first seven games of this season.
"He is just coming of age," Paul Mauricesaid. "He's capable of scoring 30, 40 goals. But you're not scoring those goals on the fourth line, or the third line. And you're not really scoring that on the second (power play) unit. You want to put up big numbers, you have to be in the Top 6 and you have to be on the top power play unit. He's going to get that chance. He will absolutely be a star there.''
A couple of other former Panthers will also be in the building tonight: Josh Mahura will be in the lineup on Seattle's third defensive pairing, but Brandon Montour will be out after getting hurt Thursday in Tampa.
Brady Tkachukgoes for history tonight as he tries to become the first player in NHL history to record three hat tricks in a row. Good luck.
Cole Reinhardt has been recalled from AHL Charlotte due to a gametime situation for the Panthers. He is not expected to play tonight.
Starting Goalies: The Panthers will return to Jacob Markstromafter he missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury. Seattle is expected to start Joey Daccord.
How to Watch/Stream: The Panthers are on Scripps once again tonight.
NHL Betting Odds: The Panthers are favorites at the local sports book again tonight. If you think the Panthers get a third straight win, a $185 money line wager wins $100.
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
Streaming: Panthers+ , ESPN+
Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM. Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM, NHL App
Local Betting Odds — Panthers Favored: MoneyLine (-185); Puck Line -1.5 (+130); O/U 6.5 (+105/-130)
Season Series — At Seattle:Jan. 12. At Florida: Saturday
Last Season: Tied 1-1
All-Time Regular Season Series: Seattle leads 6-2-2
Up Next for the Panthers: Wednesday at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m.
8 Brady Tkachuk // 9 Sam Bennett // 19 Matthew Tkachuk
23 Carter Verhaeghe // 13 Sam Reinhart // 20 Lars Eller
27 Eetu Luostarinen // 15 Anton Lundell // 95 Sandis Vilmanis
14 Bokondji Imama // 16 Sam Lafferty // 21 Garnet Hathaway
42 Gus Forsling // 5 Aaron Ekblad
77 Niko Mikkola // 3 Seth Jones
7 Dmitry Kulikov // 26 Uvis Balinskis
40 Akira Schmid
Recalled from Charlotte/Scratched:Cole Reinhardt
Returned to Charlotte:Cooper Black
Injured: Sasha Barkov (knee/LTIR), Brad Marchand (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body/LTIR), Radko Gudas (knee)
Jared McCann — Matty Beniers — Mackie Samoskevich
Bobby McMann — Chandler Stephenson — Jordan Eberle
Kaapo Kakko — Berkly Catton — Shane Wright
Ben Meyers — Frederick Gaudreau — Ryan Winterton
Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson
Ryker Evans — Cale Fleury
Josh Mahura — Ville Ottavainen
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Curtis Douglas, Ty Nelson
Injured: Brandon Montour (lower body), Jacob Melanson (upper body), Ryan Lindgren (upper body)
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