The Ottawa Senators still don't have many answers about the specifics of Shane Pinto’s injury, at least none they're willing to share publicly.

The 25-year-old centre, who leads the Senators in goals and plays in all situations, left Thursday night’s 4–2 loss to the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury. While fans hoped for some clarity on Pinto's injury the morning after, head coach Travis Green made it clear that no updates were coming.

Green has never enjoyed discussing injuries, and when TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson asked on Friday morning if there was anything new on Pinto, the coach stayed true to form.

“Not really,” Green said. “I don’t expect him to play tomorrow.”

Sixteen hours after the injury, it’s safe to assume the club has a slightly better understanding of Pinto’s condition than “not really,” but Green’s tight-lipped approach is nothing new. What he was willing to elaborate on, however, was Pinto’s importance to the Senators.

“Well, we can start just with matchups," Green told the media. "He usually plays against the other team's top line. So it doesn't get more important than that. Plays the power play, plays the penalty kill, plays when you're up a goal, good chance he'll play when you're down a goal. He's a big part of our team.”

Pinto leads the Senators with 12 goals this season and is in the first year of a four-year, $30-million extension, but his value extends beyond systems and matchups. He’s also one of the most well-liked personalities in the room. He's social, upbeat, and quick with a laugh. Sens captain Brady Tkachuk didn’t hide his fondness for Pinto and the kind of game he plays.

“I think it showed this year what it's kind of shown his whole career,' Tkachuk told the media after Thursday's game. "He's such an instrumental piece of this core, and yeah, I mean, that sucks. I haven't seen him. So hopefully it's nothing too serious. He's just such a great player out there, but he's a very important piece of this locker room as well.

Drake Batherson, the club’s leading point-getter, echoed the concern.

“For sure. You lose a player like that, the year he’s having, how reliable he is playing against top guys every night ,” Batherson said on Thursday. “We’re hoping he’s okay and it’s not too bad.”

For now, the one certainty is that Pinto will miss Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Beyond that, given the Senators’ cloak-and-dagger approach to injury disclosures, any timeline is purely guesswork.

But no matter how long he's out, given how tight things are in the Eastern standings, the Senators couldn't have picked a worse time to lose their most versatile centre.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa

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