Shane Pinto is eligible for a contract extension this summer. As with every deal, the Ottawa Senators would like to be sure they're getting what they pay for. But identifying the height of Pinto's ceiling as an NHL player isn't an easy task. On one hand, he's been an NHL regular for four seasons. On the other, between injury and suspension, he's missed 118 of a possible 328 games. Bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] and never miss the latest Senators news, interviews, columns, features and more. If the Senators believe Pinto has already reached his full NHL potential as a classic third-line defensive center who can chip in with secondary offense, then there's really no rush to get something done. Pinto already makes $3.7 million, which is at least in the vicinity of fair market value for a player like that. But if the Senators think he can and will be more than that in the future, then it's in their best interest to buy low right now and get an extension done long-term. Shane Pinto is asked about power play minutes at the Senators season-ending news conference (Senators on YouTube).. At the moment, the Senators believe they're set at centre with Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens anchoring the top two lines. But Pinto is the perfect plan B if Cozens isn’t what they hope he'll be. And that’s not based on random negative thinking. That’s based on the long-suffering Buffalo Sabres watching Cozens for four and a half seasons and then being willing to trade the 24-year-old for Josh Norris, one of the most injury-prone (and well-paid) players in Senators history. Cozens will get every chance to fully establish himself in the number two slot next season, primarily because he has five years and $35.5 million left on his contract. Cozens has done some nice things in his early days as a Senator and finished the year with 16 points in 21 games. But he also had some stretches where he wasn't noticeable, and the defensive side of his game was hit and miss. Some of that can be blamed on coming to a new team and a lack of familiarity with the system, but it's already easy to see he's not quite in Pinto's class on the defensive side of the puck. Offensively, at least in the past couple of years, there hasn't been much to separate them. Cozens finished with 47 points for a second straight year. Meanwhile, despite missing 12 games, Pinto finished with 37 points—just 10 shy of Cozens. Cozens also had the advantage of over 200 power-play minutes, 122 more than Pinto. When asked about his power play minutes, Pinto didn’t deny he'd like to see more action. "I'm a competitive guy," Pinto said. "I don't think you get here without wanting to be the best. Obviously, I want to be on the power play, but yeah, that's out of my control. I think that's the thing I learned—sometimes you can't control some of the things that happen to you. "At first I was a little bit bummed, but I had to play a different role for our team to win, and I tried to embrace that. Hopefully, in the future, they see me as a little bit more of an offensive guy. But like I said, I got put into a role this year where I tried to do my best to embrace it. It's going to be a new year next year, and we'll kind of see where it goes." If all things were equal (spoiler: they're not), Pinto might enter training camp in September with a chance to battle Cozens for the number two role. For now, he's the plan B and provides excellent depth in the event of injury. And there's likely to be a premium that needs to be paid for that. The Senators now have to figure out what that’s worth, and whether an extension can wait or not. As for Pinto, he's all for considering something long-term. "Yeah, obviously, I love being here, love the boys. We're building something special. And I wouldn't be opposed to staying here for a long time." Steve Warne The Hockey News - Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] Bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] and never miss the latest Senators news, interviews, columns, features and more.
