The Senators Should Commit Long-Term to Shane Pinto

The Ottawa Senators have done a fantastic job at developing a talented young core over the last few years. For a time, there were questions as to whether they would finally break through and make the playoffs, but they eventually did. Now, the Senators must make an effort to keep the group together, starting with dealing with Shane Pinto’s next contract.

The 24-year-old will be able to re-sign with the club this July 1 and is currently in the final year of a two-year deal at a $3.75 million cap hit. It was a bridge deal for Pinto, signed shortly after he returned from his gambling suspension. At this point in his career, Pinto is a two-time 20 goal scorer with more than 200 games of NHL experience.

While he still has a relatively inexperienced resume, the young centre now has a trip to the playoffs and multiple IIHF World Championships under his belt, which he can only benefit from being a part of. Not to mention he’s just about to enter the prime of his career. The Senators organization should be eager to ink him to a long-term deal as soon as possible.

Pinto’s 2024-25 Season

If you look at the raw counting stats, you may not view Pinto’s 2024-25 season as anything special. He only recorded 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games, which is essentially the same totals as the season before. However, head coach Travis Green trusted Pinto’s defensive game, often using him as a specialist. Only Donovan Sebrango started less in the offensive zone at 5-on-5 than Pinto and despite that, Pinto still won his minutes against tough matchups.

He also played mostly with Ridly Greig and Michael Amadio this season, whereas he played primarily with Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson last season. This would explain the modest numbers, but his defensive ability was incredibly valuable for the team as it helped free up Tim Stutzle for more offensive zone draws.

Additionally, Pinto was extremely reliable on the penalty kill, playing two minutes per game there and being one half of the Senators’ best duo shorthanded along with Greig in terms of preventing high danger chances against and generating chances for. In fact, Pinto scored a huge goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round while shorthanded.

In those playoffs, Green relied on Pinto again, this time to shut down Auston Matthews, which he did effectively. His line only scored three even-strength goals in their matchup against each other and had Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube scrambling to get that line away from Pinto when on home ice.

Pinto Excels at World Championships

Pinto made a great impact for the United States at this year’s World Championship, helping the United States to a gold medal. His play could only help to boost his stock, as he was productive while getting a chance to play on a huge international stage for a second-straight year. After starting out the tournament near the bottom of the depth chart for American forwards, Pinto worked his way up, recording 10 points in eight games and again being one his team’s most-reliable defensive players.