The Ottawa Senators have signed center Shane Pinto to a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $3.75 million. This comes after plenty of speculation about a trade request, negotiation stalemate, and other rumours.
Pinto is an integral part of the Senators’ depth. After a 41-game suspension for gambling-related reasons, Pinto came back into the lineup and in the final 41 games of the season scored nine goals and 27 points while being a steady two-way option. The team struggled without him in the lineup, and whether he slots in on the second or third line, he makes the team much better.
Pinto’s Impact in Ottawa
Having a reliable two-way center is important for any team. Having Pinto locked up for two more years is a bridge deal to lead him to a bigger deal down the road, and with the cap mess that Pierre Dorion left this team in, a two-year contract made the most sense.
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His offence in 2023-24 was impressive given how late he joined the team. Players that miss training camp and the preseason often start a bit slower, let alone half the season. The expectation is that Pinto will come in and battle Josh Norris for the second-line center position. Norris could be bumped down to the third line or get moved to the wing with his shoulder injuries. Either way, Pinto has an important place on the Senators’ roster, and with the playoffs being eight seasons in the past for this team, going into the season without him would have been detrimental.
The Senators signed a number of bottom-six players in free agency, including Michael Amadio, Noah Gregor, and David Perron, if you want to slot him in on the third line. The depth without Pinto was improved from last season but still needed work. Getting him signed is exactly the thing they needed to do.
The Senators traded Mathieu Joseph and his $2.95 million cap hit to create more cap flexibility. While Joseph was a net-positive player for the Senators, he is replaceable at a lower price. Pinto’s agent used the media to pressure Steve Staios to get the deal done, including the idea of Pinto’s camp looking for an offer sheet.
After the full offseason last year of a contract stand-still, having the rest of the summer to not worry about a Pinto contract will be much more relaxing. There was some concern that this negotiation could go sideways with all of the reports being sent out, but that wasn’t the case here. Not only is the deal done, but at under $4 million, it is a great price for the cap-strapped Senators.
