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Shane Pinto

Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Four-Year Extension

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The Ottawa Senators have signed centerman Shane Pinto to a four-year, $30MM contract extension. The deal will run through the 2029-30 season. It was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. This move comes in the wake of speculation that Ottawa was planning to reapproach Pinto about an extension sometime this week.

The new deal will carry a yearly cap hit of $7.5MM and carry through two years of Pinto’s unrestricted free agent eligibility. That yearly salary is a full $1MM over the number believed to have been offered to Pinto on an eight-year extension before the start of the season. There was reason to believe Pinto wasn’t satisfied with the long-term deal, or slim price tag, of that previous offer per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Now, he’ll find the middle ground between those factors, and maintain the chance to sign a heftier deal before he’s too far away from his prime years.

Pinto’s contract will also mark a new baseline for other young, emerging centerman across the league. He has been a true force for the Senators this season, stepping up as a much-needed second-line center and posting 14 points in 17 games, the third-most on the team. The scoring is a major surge forward from the 37 points he scored in 70 games last season, but it doesn’t seem all too unsustainable. Pinto has recorded a career-high 17.4 shooting percentage this year – 0.9 percent more than he managed last year, and 4.2 percent higher than the 13.4 percent he’s averaged since 2023. But he has also performed in-line with his expected-goals (7.0 xG to 8 goals), suggesting that his step in scoring comes from true improvements.

Finding the balance between properly rewarding a young star, without overcommitting, was the challenge that Ottawa faced. In market value, Pinto seemed to land somewhere between the likes of Marco Rossi (Minnesota, three-years, $15MM) and Connor Zary (Calgary ,three-years, $11.325MM); and the likes of Frank Nazar (Chicago, seven-years, $46.13MM) and Mason McTavish (Anaheim, six-years, $42MM). The deal Ottawa has delivered suggests exactly that, placing Pinto closer to the former in term but the latter in yearly and total salary. This move also continues the trend of young centers signing shorter-term deals, potentially setting the NHL up for exciting free agencies in a few years.

More than setting his market price, this deal will cement a deep connection between Ottawa and Pinto. The two sides have seen their fair share of ups-and-downs since Pinto was selected 32nd-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. After netting 59 points in 56 games of his sole USHL season, Pinto moved to the University of North Dakota for his underclass years. He posted 60 points in 61 games with the Fighting Hawks, and turned pro with Ottawa at the end of the 2020-21 season. Pinto was a quick impact, looking capable of keeping up with NHL speed and physicality, and posting seven points in his first 12 NHL games. He seemed well set up for a breakout campaign in 2021-22, but missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury that began in the fourth game of the season. He tried to return from the injury a few games later, but reinjured his shoulder and got knocked out of the season.

Pinto returned for the 2022-23 season with that breakout still top of mind. He got off to a hot start, earning October’s ’Rookie of the Month’ honors following six goals and seven points in eight games to start the year. His scoring petered out over a long November, sparking a hot-and-cold streak that’d span the year. In total, Pinto posted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games of his rookie season. It was a modest performance, but not neccesarily the breakout many anticipated from the high second-round pick. Hopes remained high for the 2023-24 season.

But Pinto was once again derailed, this time suspended by the NHL for invovlvement with prohibited sports gambling. The League stepped up to make an example of Pinto by suspending him for the first 41 games of the season. He served through that punishment, and still looked promising in the second-half of Ottawa’s season. He scored nine goals and 27 points in 41 games, putting him on pace for 54 points across a full season, had he had the opportunity.

The return to an impact role wasn’t enough to cement Pinto’s presence in Ottawa, though. The Senators faced an uphill battle attempting to sign Pinto to a contract and then an extension amid his return from suspension. At one point, Pinto suggested he was hoping to be offer-sheeted away from the Senators organization, though he never officially requested a trade. Ultimately the two sides came together first on a one-year deal that pushed him through the 2023-24 season, then on a two-year extension that carries him through this season.

Now, Ottawa will finally cement Pinto’s spot in the lineup. He seems to be emerging as the high-octane forward the team was always hoping for, marked by a career-high 19 minutes of average ice time. He’s played over 20 minutes of ice time in three of Ottawa’s last five games, and rewarded them with three points in that stretch. The Senators’ top-end is loaded with promising, young forwards, including Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens. Now, they’ll add the 25-year-old Pinto to that mix for the long haul.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.

Senators, Shane Pinto To Meet Again On Contract Extension

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The Ottawa Senators will resume one of their most important conversations of the season later this week. High-scoring centerman Shane Pinto is set to become an arbitration-eligible, restricted free agent this summer, after closing out the two-year bridge deal he signed in 2024. The Senators have already started offering new deals to the 24-year-old, including a six-year, $52MM extension offered last month, per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. That deal would have set Pinto’s cap hit at $6.5MM each season – though Garrioch points out that Pinto likely wouldn’t have liked the money or term of that deal.

Pinto has certainly garnered the right to ask for a few favors on his next contract. He’s scored eight goals and 14 points through 16 games this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle (16 points each). More than that, Pinto has posted a 57.8 faceoff percentage on 199 draws – ranking him 16th in the league among eligible players (>100 faceoffs). He also ranks among the top-five Senators forwards in blocked shots per game. That performance has cemented Pinto as Ottawa’s second-line center this season – a role the team was desperately looking for, even acquiring Dylan Cozens to fit the bill last season.

Pinto saved his career-year for his contract-year, but his performance doesn’t appear to be a total fluke. He leads the Senators’ offense in total expected-goals with 7.0 – a mark he’s just narrowly outperformed with eight goals on the year. He also leads the bunch in shot attempts per game – averaging 5.8, one full shot more than Stutle’s 4.8 in second-place. Pinto has recorded an 18.6 shooting percentage in total – a mark that sits far above his career-average of 13.2 percent. That could indicate that the young center is set to fall back to Earth in due time, though it could also be elevated by Pinto’s growing lineup role.

In full, Pinto is on pace to score 41 goals and 72 points this season. That would blow his previous best – 21 goals and 37 points scored last year – out of the water. It would also command far more than $6.5MM each season, especially against the growing salary cap.

Few players have found themselves in Pinto’s shoes – with a productive, top-end role still a few years away from their prime. Many comparable free agents have opted to avoid max-term contracts – including Marco Rossi, who signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Zary, who signed a three-year, $11.325MM deal with the Calgary Flames.

Pinto and his agent Lewis Gross could point towards Chicago Blackhawks’ recent extension of Frank Nazar as a baseline. Chicago inked Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract ahead of his second full season in the NHL. Nazar has gone on to score just below a point-per-game pace – 11 points in 15 games – enough to cement his spot as Chicago’s number-two behind Connor Bedard. Pinto is three years older than Nazar, and likely won’t be able to carve out as much importance on a top-heavy Senators offense. Nonetheless, shooting for roughly $7MM each season could be a sensible mark, especially if Pinto continues his dominant season.

The salary cap is expected to grow by up to $8.5MM between this season and next. That will be more than enough room for Ottawa to afford a player-friendly extension with Pinto – or earn some savings by pulling him closer to their first offer. Either way, it seems the Senators are well on their way towards cementing yet another young, high-potential forward into their future.

Photo courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports.

Update On Shane Pinto’s Extension Negotiations

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Before the start of the regular season, several reports indicated that the Ottawa Senators had had positive conversations with Shane Pinto regarding an extension, and that the price could reach as high as $7MM per year. Apparently, those conversations may not have been as positive as previously believed, according to a new update from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on The FAN Hockey Show.

Friedman suggested that the Senators’ offer was far too low for Pinto, and realized later in the summer that they had much more work to do. Now factoring in Pinto’s start to the 2025-26 campaign, Ottawa may have to move farther than they’re comfortable with.

There’s no questioning he’s off to a torrid pace. The former 32nd overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has scored six goals and seven points through the Senators’ first seven games, averaging 18:31 of ice time per night. Especially with the team being without captain Brady Tkachuk for the next several weeks, Pinto has taken it upon himself to carry much of the offensive burden.

Still, on the flip side of the argument, Pinto doesn’t have the track record to legitimize making him one of Ottawa’s highest-paid forwards. There’s little expectation he’ll ask for more than Tkachuk or star Tim Stützle, but there’s a world now where Pinto is asking for more than Dylan Cozens’ $7.1MM salary.

Although he’s shown a knack for goal-scoring, Pinto has yet to reach the 40-point plateau in his three full years with the Senators. Outside of missing half of the 2023-24 campaign for violating the league’s gambling policies, Pinto has scored 50 goals and 99 points in 193 games from the 2022-23 to 2024-25 campaigns. That was good for an 82-game pace of 21 goals and 42 points.

In fact, from his age-22 to age-24 seasons, Pinto has been remarkably similar to Jack Roslovic’s output over the same age range, when the latter put up 86 points with three more games played, while averaging nearly three minutes less of ice time per game. Roslovic has hovered around the 40-point mark since then, while putting up a pair of 20+ goal campaigns, and he settled on a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Edmonton Oilers this summer.

That’s not to say that Pinto’s pathway through the NHL will completely copy Roslovic’s, though it’s an important detail to manage. Given that the Senators are only freshly coming out of their rebuild, they can’t afford to attach a $7MM or more price tag to a player that will only average approximately 40 points a year. Regardless, given how he’s capitalized on a contract year through the early stages of the regular season, the Senators and Pinto are unlikely to agree on an extension throughout the year.

Morning Notes: Robertson, Pinto, Varone

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In this early stretch of the 2025-26 NHL season, one of the better storylines on the New York Rangers has been the emergence of rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson, who scored his first NHL goal last night in the team’s much-needed comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Robertson took on injured defenseman Carson Soucy’s role as the Rangers’ number-five defenseman, and while he hasn’t been perfect, he has generally impressed. This has led to questions as to what will happen when Soucy is ready to return to the lineup, and The Athletic’s Peter Baugh wrote yesterday that it “definitely feels like” Robertson will retain a spot in head coach Mike Sullivan’s regular lineup once Soucy returns.

Should Robertson end up retaining his regular lineup spot, that would likely mean veteran Urho Vaakanainen would become the team’s seventh defenseman, filling the role Robertson began the season in. Vaakanainen, 26, is averaging the fewest minutes per game of any Rangers blueliner (15:02) though he has played in all seven of the team’s games thus far this season. The stay-at-home defenseman has an additional year on his contract beyond this one at a $1.55MM AAV, and managed a healthy 15 points in 46 games for the Rangers last season. Vaakanainen’s play has drawn more criticism than Robertson’s this year, though, and being on the wrong end of a Trent Frederic game-winning goal on Tuesday didn’t help his case to stay in the lineup.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Yesterday, we covered reports coming out of Ottawa that Senators center Shane Pinto and the team were set to re-engage in talks over a contract extension for the talented young center. Those reports indicated that there was a notable gap between the Senators’ expectations for a new contract and the expectations of Pinto’s representatives, led by Lewis Gross of Sports Professional Management. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added to the reporting around Pinto last night, revealing that the Senators had offered Pinto an eight-year contract extension. It’s unclear at this time whether Pinto and the Senators will be able to reach an agreement on such a long-term contract (Pinto’s goal-scoring success so far this season should certainly embolden his camp’s pursuit of a major pay raise) but as of right now, it’s abundantly clear the Senators are hoping to keep Pinto in the fold for as long as possible.
  • Former AHL MVP Phil Varone has found a place to play the 2025-26 season, signing a contract with Slovakia’s HK Dukla Trencin. The 34-year-old, who was once one of the top players in the AHL and has 97 career NHL games to his name, has landed in Slovakia after a two-year stint in Germany’s DEL. Since leaving North America at the end of a 2019-20 season that saw him post 19 points in 33 AHL games, Varone has struggled to find consistency in Europe. He’s bounced between six different clubs over the last five years across three different leagues and four different countries, with his best year coming in 2023-24, when he scored 27 points in 34 games for the DEL’s Düsseldorfer EG. He now joins a Trencin team in desperate need of scoring reinforcement: the team currently sit in the No. 8 spot in the Slovak Extraliga standings (out of 12 teams) and have scored the third-fewest goals as a team (27 through 12 games played).

Senators Expected To Resume Shane Pinto Extension Talks Soon

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With Senators center Shane Pinto heading into the final year of his contract this season, the team and his representatives held extension talks over the offseason but were too far apart in terms of his value.  As a result, those discussions were put on pause with Pinto’s camp wanting to get through the start of the season without any possible distractions.

It appears that will soon be changing.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there’s an expectation that the two sides will meet again soon to rekindle those talks.

There have been some interesting moments in contract talks with him before.  When he was a restricted free agent back in 2024, there were suggestions that his camp was hoping to solicit an offer sheet in the hopes of landing a contract that was closer to the value they were seeking from the Sens.  Considering he wound up signing a bridge deal soon after, clearly one never materialized.

That bridge agreement was a heavily backloaded two-year, $7.5MM pact.  The deal sees Pinto receiving $5MM in salary this season.  With the qualifying offers being the lower of either his current-season salary or 120% of the AAV ($3.75MM in this case), he’s already set for a raise in his cap charge with his qualifying offer checking in at $4.5MM with salary arbitration rights next summer.

Pinto’s performance and the quickly rising salary cap ensure that he’ll be getting a higher number than that on his next deal.  Last season, he picked up a career-best 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games while largely playing in their top six.

This season, he’s off to an even better start.  The 24-year-old is tied for the league lead in goals with six through five games and while a shooting percentage of 40 is clearly unsustainable, both sides are certainly hoping that another career year offensively is on the horizon.

Garrioch relays word from a league source that suggested that Ottawa’s offer to Pinto’s camp was a longer-term offer in the $5MM to $5.5MM range, one that would lock him in as their third pivot for years to come.  With Tim Stutzle now moved to center and the acquisition of Dylan Cozens at the trade deadline last season, the hope is that those two will lock down the top two center slots for the foreseeable future.

But with that offer coming in not too high above the qualifying offer, it’s understandable that Pinto wouldn’t have wanted to sign that type of deal this early.  Meanwhile, a league executive suggested to Garrioch that Pinto might be looking to land a contract with a price tag between Cozens ($7.1MM) and Stutzle ($8.35MM).  While his offensive production to-date wouldn’t necessarily justify that, it’s also reflective of the expectation that salaries are set to jump quickly in this new cap environment.

There is definitely some risk in restarting discussions while Pinto is in the middle of a hot streak and Ottawa’s offer certainly won’t be pegging Pinto to keep producing at his current level.  But if he has done enough for the Senators to up their original proposal, it might be enough of a step to see if the two sides can get something worked out.

Shane Pinto’s Extension Could Reach More Than $7MM AAV

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Throughout the summer months, there’s been mild speculation regarding a contract extension between the Ottawa Senators and forward Shane Pinto. To this point, General Manager Steve Staios and Pinto have gone as far as to say that both sides have had positive conversations, though nothing has materialized yet. Still, if an extension is agreed upon throughout the 2025-26 season, many could be surprised by the price.

In a recent segment on TSN 1200 Ottawa, insider Frankie Corrado suggested that Pinto’s price tag begins at $7MM per season and may increase from there. That undoubtedly indicates that the two sides are prioritizing a long-term commitment, although it’s well above projections. According to AFP Analytics, Pinto is expected to command a $5.9MM salary on a long-term deal and $4.5MM if they pivot toward a bridge deal.

The minimum salary of $7MM, as Corrado suggests, would nearly double Pinto’s current salary of $3.75MM and would make Pinto the fourth-highest paid forward on the team. This may come as a surprise, considering Pinto has yet to register more than 40 points in a given season, though this could become the new norm as the upper ceiling of the salary cap increases.

Before the start of the 2023-24 season, when Pinto first signed his two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Senators, his cap hit represented 4.26% of Ottawa’s salary cap availability. Assuming Pinto signs a long-term extension at $7MM per season, his cap hit would only represent 6.16% of the Senators’ available cap total by the second year of the deal, and continue to decrease from there.

Still, it’s an objectively high dollar amount for a player whose earning power will hinge greatly on his performance this season. Outside of missing half of the 2023-24 campaign for violating the NHL’s Sports Wagering rules, Pinto has been a relatively productive secondary scorer for Ottawa, registering 50 goals and 99 points in his last 193 contests. In his lone playoff run with the Senators last season, he recorded one goal and two points in six games, averaging 19:53 of ice time.

Pinto possesses a defensive quality in his game that is often overlooked because of his goal-scoring ability. Throughout the past two years, he’s achieved a success rate in the faceoff dot higher than 50.0% in more than 1,300 draws, and an on-ice save percentage at even strength higher than 91.0%.

Regardless, although he’s eligible for arbitration next summer, Pinto isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2027-28 season, giving him and the Senators plenty of time to work something out. Still, given that it’s the last year a team can sign a rostered player to an eight-year extension, time is running out for Ottawa to potentially retain Pinto through his age-33 season, the prime years of his career.

Snapshots: Shero, Pinto, Eagles

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Over the past five months, the hockey world has mourned the passing of longtime NHL executive Ray Shero. Today, the NHL honored Shero and his legacy by posthumously awarding him the Lester Patrick Trophy, given annually to players, executives, officials, or other hockey personnel for outstanding service to ice hockey in the United States.

It’s not the first time the award has been bestowed upon the Shero family. In 1980, alongside the former owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ed Snider, and the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey team, Ray’s father, Fred (then coach of the New York Rangers), was also given the award.

Outside of having his name engraved on the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Shero crafted a lengthy legacy representing the United States in international contests. As noted in the NHL’s announcement, Shero helped create 13 U.S. teams for the IIHF World Championships and was an Associate General Manager for the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team in 2014.

Other snapshots:

  • Though much of the speculation regarding an extension has been outlined by General Manager Steve Staios, forward Shane Pinto finally spoke about the negotiations with the Ottawa Senators. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, Pinto remained hopeful that a new deal would be reached, but doesn’t care to negotiate during the season, saying, “I don’t want to be a distraction.” The soon-to-be 25-year-old is coming off a quality season, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games.
  • The AHL’s Colorado Eagles, primary affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, have reportedly signed a 40-year lease with the City of Greeley for a new stadium. The team currently plays its home games at Blue Arena in Loveland, CO, having done so for the last 22 years. The new location in Greeley will be less accessible to fans from Denver, as it is nearly 20 miles east of I-25.

Senators Notes: Jensen, Pinto, Eller

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In mid-May, Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen went under the knife for hip surgery. Despite the most recent update indicating he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, that assurance now seems uncertain.

Sharing a quote from head coach Travis Green, Claire Hanna of TSN quoted the coach saying, “[I]t’s too early to tell if he’ll start the season.” Still, Green remained optimistic, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s skating with the group in the next week, he’s progressing nicely.”

Fortunately, the Senators added quality depth on the right side of the blue line this offseason in their acquisition of Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Still, Ottawa may have to give significant minutes to Nikolas Matinpalo, something he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to handle in his limited NHL career, if Jensen isn’t ready to start the regular season.

Other Ottawa Senators notes:

  • The Senators will open camp without an extension in place with forward Shane Pinto. During yesterday’s media availability, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch relayed a note from General Manager Steve Staios saying the two sides have had positive dialogue, and there was no timeline to getting something worked out. Pinto is entering the final year of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Senators, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games last year.
  • One of Ottawa’s free agent pickups this past summer won’t be able to start training camp on time. According to Garrioch, Lars Eller had a minor abdominal procedure, which will eat into a few day’s of his avilability during camp. Still, there’s no indication that the 36-year-old center will be out long-term due to the injury.

Shane Pinto Extension Not Expected Before Start Of Season

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Despite expressing a desire to sign a long-term extension with the Ottawa Senators when he became eligible on July 1st, there’s currently no such agreement in place for Shane Pinto. In a recent interview with Steve Warne of The Hockey News, General Manager Steve Staios doesn’t expect this to change anytime soon.

In the interview, when directly pressed on extension negotiations between the team and Pinto, Staios said, “I think what we’ve decided on is we’re gonna let the season start and not have Shane distracted with (contract talks). But I guess the best way to put it is (we’ve had) preliminary conversations – positive ones – that lead me to believe that there will be a deal done at the right time. And that’s really all I can report on that.”

The news of positive preliminary talks is a good sign that Pinto will ultimately sign an extension with Ottawa; the phrase ’distraction’ has different implications altogether. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Pinto won’t re-up with the Senators, but the use of that word implies the team is willing to wait until next offseason to work out the specifics.

There’s no real reason for Ottawa to rush, as Pinto will become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer while still being three years away from unrestricted free agency. With Ottawa’s salary cap situation becoming increasingly tight due to the younger players on the roster receiving new contracts, it seems risky for the Senators to delay serious negotiations with Pinto. Gaining cost certainty now would be a more prudent decision.

Ultimately, Pinto will decide his fate. He rebounded nicely last season after missing half of the season in 2023-24 due to his violation of the NHL’s sports wagering policy. Appearing in 70 games for the Senators, Pinto scored 21 goals and 37 points, averaging 17:33 of ice time with a 16.5% shooting percentage. Additionally, he was sneakily productive on the defensive side for a player who’s considered a goal-scorer, finishing fifth on the team among forwards with a 91.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

During Ottawa’s brief run in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, he was relatively unremarkable. However, he had a standout performance in this summer’s IIHF World Championships, where he scored two goals and recorded 10 points in eight games, finishing with a +9 rating for Team USA. Due to his performance on the international stage, Pinto was included in Team USA’s orientation camp roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, but he is unlikely to make the final roster.

Outside of Pinto’s expiring $3.75MM cap hit, Ottawa will have an additional $15.45MM coming off the books next summer, assuming they don’t sign anyone to an extension throughout the 2025-26 season. This means that should Pinto have an explosive campaign, the Senators will have the funds to reward him financially. Still, it would be wise for the team to make that commitment sooner rather than later, as Pinto’s long-term price will only continue to increase if he has a successful year.

Senators Notes: Tkachuk, Giroux, Jensen, Pinto, Worlds

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While the Senators are disappointed by a first-round loss in the Battle of Ontario, there are plenty of reasons for optimism in the future after ending a seven-year playoff drought. One is the continued top-end play of captain Brady Tkachuk, who was still dealing with the hip injury he sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off during the postseason, he told Claire Hanna of TSN.

“The hip happened that Sweden game, took some time coming back to try to get it as good as possible,” Tkachuk said. “Now it’s just, take the time to get that all healed up… it could heal up in the next couple of weeks.”

Entering a pivotal 2025-26 campaign for the Sens as they look to establish themselves in the upper echelon of the Atlantic Division, it’s good news that their leading goal-scorer doesn’t expect any lingering effects and should head into training camp at full health. Signed through 2027-28 at an $8.2MM cap hit, he still led the Sens in playoff scoring with a 4-3–7 line and a plus-two rating through six games. While his 0.76 points per game in the regular season were his lowest in four years, he still topped Ottawa’s roster with 29 goals and would have registered his fourth straight 30-goal campaign if not for missing 10 games.

Here’s more on the Senators:

  • Veteran pending unrestricted free agent winger Claude Giroux wants to continue his career in his hometown of Ottawa. He hasn’t talked to Sens general manager Steve Staios about a contract extension yet, but still feels that he can be an impact player, he told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. He’s been extremely durable since signing a three-year, $19.5MM contract with Ottawa in 2022, only missing one game. His point totals have steadily tailed off, though, and the 37-year-old scored 50 points in 81 games in 2024-25 for the second-lowest per-game output of his career over a full season. AFP Analytics projects a two-year extension for Giroux just north of his current cap hit, but it stands to reason he’ll be happy to re-up for the same number or slightly less. He only made $5.5MM in salary this year, so a marginal decrease wouldn’t even be a pay cut compared to the final season of his expiring contract.
  • Defenseman Nick Jensen may need offseason surgery for the undisclosed injury that plagued him down the stretch, he told Garrioch. Ottawa sat Jensen for two of its last four regular-season games, and he missed a couple of multi-game stretches earlier in the campaign. The 34-year-old was still an effective shutdown presence in his first season with the Sens, posting 21 points and a +18 rating in 71 regular-season games. He averaged nearly 21 minutes per game in the playoffs and controlled 57.6% of shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 despite not recording a point.
  • Young center Shane Pinto is entering the back half of his two-year, $7.5MM contract and is interested in discussing a long-term extension after he becomes eligible to sign one on July 1, he told TSN 1200 Ottawa. After sitting out half of the 2023-24 campaign due to a suspension for violating the league’s sports wagering policy, he posted a career-best 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games in 2024-25 while shouldering top-six minutes.
  • Defensemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot declined invites from USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, respectively, to join their national teams for the 2025 World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, with the former citing rest as his reasoning (per Hanna and TSN 1200). Germany hasn’t yet approached star center Tim Stützle, he said, but will say yes once they reach out in the coming days (according to Garrioch). Dylan Cozens also said he’d welcome being added to Canada’s roster if asked, per TSN 1200.

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