Senators place Shane Pinto on injured reserve

The team then announced that forward Hayden Hodgson has been recalled from Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

The news comes one day after Senators’ head coach Travis Green told reporters he didn’t have an update on Pinto’s injury and there was no timeline as to when he may return. He also said he didn’t expect the Ottawa forward to play in Saturday’s matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

Pinto sustained the injury on Thursday during the first period of their game against the New York Rangers. His last shift was in the first period after Rangers’ forward Mika Zibanejad delivered a hit on the Senators’ forward. Pinto skated back to the bench and tried to move around, but went back to the locker room and did not return.

Pinto finished the game with 5:07 of ice time in seven shifts. The Rangers would go on to win the game 4-2.

Pinto has 12 goals and six assists for 18 points in 27 games, leading the team in goals. Now in his sixth NHL season, the 25-year-old Pinto has 63 goals and 62 assists for 125 points in 237 career regular-season games. 

He’s also played in six Stanley Cup Playoff games, where he’s scored a goal and an assist for two points. 

Before turning professional, Pinto, a 2019 second-round pick for the Sens, spent two seasons with the University of North Dakota. He would score 31 goals and 29 assists for 60 points in 61 career NCAA games. 

Pinto also spent a full season in the USHL, split between the Lincoln Stars and the Tri-City Storm. In 56 career games, he scored 28 goals and 31 assists for 59 points.

Meanwhile, Hodgson has played in eight NHL games with the Senators this season, recording 21 hits. In 11 AHL games, he has three goals and an assist for four points and 30 penalty minutes in 11 games.

The Senators are now 13-10-4 with 30 points through their first 27 games of the 2025-26 regular season. They are fifth in the Atlantic Division and hold the 13th-best record in the Eastern Conference.