Pinto signs a one-year deal worth $775,000, expected to make season debut Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Ottawa Senators announced today they've signed centre Shane Pinto to a one-year, $775,000 contract. Pinto is coming off a 41-game suspension for violating the league's sports wagering rules. The NHL found no evidence that Pinto had bet on any NHL games.
Pinto spoke about his initial reaction to finding out he’d be suspended for 41 games.
“It broke my heart," Pinto said last Friday. "Honestly, I care about this game so much. I put so much time and effort into it and just to kind of get it taken away from you for that long, it was just tough to hear. You’re in shock at first.”
“It's been a tough couple months here and I know I've been a distraction towards them. So, I kind of feel bad about that. But just to bring, hopefully, a better vibe and just my smile. Hopefully, that gets the boys going here and we could hopefully turn it around.”
It's possible that Pinto and Josh Norris will both be in the lineup on Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers. Norris skated in a regular jersey at practice on Friday morning.
The one-year deal will get the two sides through this salary cap-strapped season, but there's almost certainly a more lucrative, longer-term extension awaiting Pinto that he could sign anytime now. As for this season, he'll earn $359,245 in pro-rated salary.
Pinto was one of five players to skate in each of the Senators’ 82 regular-season games in 2022-23, a season in which he recorded new career highs in goals (20), assists (15) and points (35) to rank seventh in team scoring.
Drafted by the Senators with the team’s first of two second-round selections (32nd overall) at the 2019 NHL Draft, Pinto’s first game this season will be the 100th of his NHL career.