Shane Pinto's Contract Saga Drags On in Ottawa

Fans were chanting for the Ottawa Senators to re-sign RFA Shane Pinto, but the team is still trying to free space for him, prompting speculation in the past week.

During the Ottawa Senators' home-opening 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers last weekend, their fans chanted for Shane Pinto as the game was winding down. Their efforts, however, did nothing to bring the club any closer to signing the 22-year-old RFA.

The Senators are off to a good start without Pinto, winning three of their first four games. However, the Ottawa Sun's Tim Baines writes they've backed themselves into a corner with Pinto due to limited salary cap space.

Pinto seeks a raise after completing his entry-level contract with a 20-goalie rookie performance last season. Baine speculates he could be worth $2 million this season or perhaps a touch more. With just over $65,000 in cap space, however, the Senators lack the room to sign him to a league minimum $775,000.

The Senators must free up cap space to get Pinto under contract for this season. Baines pointed out doing so means trading someone currently on their starting roster or trying to send somebody to the minors and risk losing them to another club via waivers.

Last Thursday, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Senators GM Pierre Dorion is trying to move winger Mathieu Joseph and has had conversations regarding defenseman Erik Brannstrom.

Joseph, 26, is signed through 2025-26 with an average annual value of $2.95 million while the 24-year-old Brannstrom is on a one-year contract worth $2 million. Both players lack no-trade protection.

Due to the flattened salary cap, however, most teams can't afford to take on either player at this stage in the season. The few who can likely hope to squeeze Dorion into including a draft pick or prospect in the deal.

Until Dorion finds a solution, don't expect to see Pinto in the lineup anytime soon.