Senators Sign Shane Pinto to 2-year deal – Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators signed center Shane Pinto to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.75 million. This comes after a lot of speculation about the trade offer, the stability of the negotiations, and other rumors.

Pinto is an important part of the Senators depth. After a 41-game suspension for gambling-related reasons, Pinto returned to the lineup and in the final 41 games of the season scored nine goals and 27 points while being a two-way option. The team has struggled without him in the lineup, and whether he's on the second or third line, he makes the team that much better.

Pinto's influence in Ottawa

Having a reliable two-way center is important for any team. Locking Pinto up for two more years is a deal to lead him to a bigger deal, and with the mess Pinto left the team in, a two-year deal makes a lot of sense.

Related: Day 1 Update of Free Association Senators

His case in 2023-24 was impressive because he joined the team late. Players who miss training camp and the preseason often get off to a slow start, let alone half the season. The expectation is that Pinto will step in and battle Josh Norris for the second line center position. Norris could be beaten to death on the third line or moved to the wing due to a shoulder injury. In any case, Pinto has an important place on the Senators' roster, and with the playoffs being the last eight seasons for this team, going into this season without him would be dangerous.

The Senators signed a number of bottom six players in free agency, including Michael Amadio, Noah Gregor, and David Perron, if you want to put him on the third line. The depth without Pinto was improved from last season but he still needed work. Getting him signed was exactly what they needed to do.

The Senators traded Mathieu Joseph and his $2.95 million cap hit to create more flexibility. While Joseph is a net-positive player for the Senators, he is being replaced at a low price. Pinto's agent used the media to pressure Steve Staios into a deal, including the idea of ​​Pinto's camp demanding an offer sheet.

After last season's full season of the contract situation, having an entire summer to not worry about Pinto's contract will be very nice. There was concern that this conversation might go sideways as all the reports were released, but that was not the case here. Not only was the deal done, but at less than $4 million, it's a great deal for the tight-lipped Senators.