The Best is Yet to Come for Ottawa Senators Centre Shane Pinto

Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto had a fine half-season in 2023-24 with 27 points in 41 games. Parlayed over a full 82-game campaign, some easy math unveils a 54-point pace, which would have been good for fifth in team scoring.

If Pinto can achieve those numbers during the completely bizarre season he just came through, what's he capable of in a normal, well-structured season when he's another year closer to his prime?

Last season, every player on the Ottawa Senators dealt with the well-documented distinctions of an ownership change, a GM change, a coaching change, and shaky goaltending. Now, there's complete stability on all those fronts.

Pinto dealt with all of it too, but he had a ton more going on than just that.

As an RFA, he missed all of training camp and the first eight games of the season. That may have been due to the Senators' lack of cap space or the Pinto news that was about to break. Maybe a bit of both?

Regardless, Pinto was handed a 41-game suspension for “activities relating to sports wagering” on October 26th. 

Pinto fully explained the situation on an episode of the Empty Netters podcast last month.

"I had my buddies, because I was in Canada, place bets for me in America," Pinto said. "I wasn't a Canadian citizen, so I couldn't really use a Canadian sportsbook. So I just had my buddies place bets for me, and that's proxy betting. So, that's obviously a big no-no.

"It was like an illegal act, so obviously, it was a pretty big deal. So, that's why we didn't want to fight it, and we just kind of accepted it. I did what I had to do and I took the penalty. And thank God, I played a good 41 games."

And he did it despite the team distractions, being peppered with questions about the suspension, and the rust from not playing a single game from April 13, 2023, to January 21, 2024. 

Now those distractions are gone, not to mention the end of his contract concerns. Last season, Pinto signed a basic, let's get on with it, one-year deal for the league minimum ($775,000) once he was eligible to play again. 

Now, for the first time in his young career, Pinto is financially secure for life. 

A day after the start of free agency last month, the Senators re-signed him to a two-year deal worth $7.5 million. The contract will pay Pinto $2.5 million in 2024-25 and $5 million in 2025-26.

For all those reasons, it's hard to imagine there will be a player in the NHL reporting for camp next month whose comfort and focus have had a bigger one-year turnaround than Pinto's.

"I just tried to do the best I can with the situation I had," Pinto said at the year-end media availability in April. "I tried to stay positive throughout it all. I think I did a good job of handling the university. I think it's just part of life. It's not going to be easy always, and that was my mindset going into it. It was definitely a long road, but you just got to take it one day at a time, and that's what I did."

Now, let's also throw in Pinto being a less experienced player than his age would indicate. He'll be 24 in November and has been a full-time NHLer for three seasons, but he's only played in roughly half of the games. Pinto missed most of that first season with a shoulder injury. Then he missed half of last season with the suspension.

For a player who's only played a season and a half in the league to put up a 54-point pace last season, the sky is the limit. Pinto still has a ton of room to grow and get even better.

Some might suggest that Josh Norris may return and take away some of Pinto's ice time and opportunities. In theory, Pinto might get bumped to a lesser role as the number three centre. But it seems unlikely, especially with Norris's chronic shoulder problems, which have led to speculation about Norris moving to the wing. 

What's more, Pinto may have passed Norris on the depth chart anyway. The two centres played for about a month together in 2024, and Pinto had the edge in both points and ice time. 

From January 21 to February 27th, Norris had 4 goals and 9 points, while Pinto had 5 goals and 13 points. Norris's ice time began to fade in the games prior to the injury, and he ended February with 14:55 of ice time, while Pinto had 18:32.

And finally, based on Pinto's day with the Senators' social media team, who followed him for a day of training, golf, and a tour of the family home, he's obviously in great shape, physically and mentally, as we churn toward a new season.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7Tx5YEAr7g[/embed]

Fans gearing up for their annual hockey pool or fantasy hockey would be well served to add Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto to their list of sleepers.