Mackie Samoskevich’s shooting luck has been nonexistent this year, and his goal-scoring numbers have taken a hit because of it. What can the Florida Panthers' winger do to turn things around?
It’s not a secret that the Florida Panthers are very high on Mackie Samoskevich, but the truth is, his 2025-26 campaign has been underwhelming.
The season started strong, and there was plenty of belief that Samoskevich’s breakthrough would occur in just his second season. Now 55 games into the season, it’s clear the breakthrough won’t be coming this season, but he could still end the year on a high note.
With five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 53 games, the 23-year-old is on pace to finish the season with eight goals and 31 points in 80 games. That would be a considerable drop-off from his rookie season, which saw him notch 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games.
The playmaking numbers are up, which is a good sign, but the Panthers were hoping to see his playmaking improve while also maintaining or even improving on his goal scoring.
It’s hard to identify why Samoskevich’s numbers have dropped so far in terms of goal scoring. He’s averaging 14:25 of ice time this season, compared to his rookie season, when he averaged 13:19. He’s taking more shots on goal, averaging 2.12 shots this year, while averaging 1.8 last year.
His shooting percentage during the 2024-25 season was still relatively low at 11.6 percent; it’s astronomically worse this year, converting on just 4.5 percent of his shots.
Just because his goal-scoring numbers and production are down doesn’t mean his play has been poor. The Panthers still win his minutes at 5-on-5, as naturalstattrick.com shows the Panthers own 53.87 percent of expected goals and 53.91 percent of high-danger chances.
Mackie Samoskevich (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)In addition to his on-ice impact, his individual stats have improved as well. At 5-on-5, he’s had 45 high-danger chances this season, compared to 47 last year. He’s also had 95 scoring chances compared to 107 last year. He’s played 19 fewer games.
It’s hard to pinpoint where Samoskevich needs to improve or change about his game. Maybe all he needs is a reset during the Olympic break and a few better bounces.
Samoskevich is still young, and his pedigree as a first-round pick, as well as the scoring numbers he’s shown in the USHL, NCAA, and the AHL, are enough for the Panthers to be patient and allow him to develop.
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