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Shane Pinto

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Pinto, Lyon

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Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (upper body) remains unavailable for Friday’s home game versus the Red Wings, as head coach Craig Berube told David Alter of The Hockey News.

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reported earlier today that Matthews did not participate in this morning’s optional skate. Berube added that Matthews’ recovery is “going in the right direction,” although he also remains doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Canadiens as Toronto closes out a back-to-back. In all likelihood, it appears the captain’s absence will last three games and he’ll return Tuesday against the Senators.

A few more injury-related notes from around the Atlantic:

  • Senators center Shane Pinto (undisclosed) could return Saturday in Boston after missing over two weeks, head coach Travis Green told TSN 1200 Ottawa. The club was without No. 1 pivot Tim Stützle in practice today, but that was only due to a black eye he sustained in yesterday’s loss to the Senators and he won’t miss any time. Pinto had a goal and two assists through his first six games of the season before exiting the lineup.
  • Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon, who was slated to start tonight’s matchup in Toronto, is instead on the shelf with a minor lower-body injury that he sustained in practice Thursday, head coach Derek Lalonde relayed to FanDuel Sports Network Detroit’s Daniella Bruce. His absence explains the recall of Ville Husso from AHL Grand Rapids earlier today under emergency conditions. He’ll back up while Cam Talbot starts his third straight game. Lalonde is “not overly concerned about [Lyon’s injury] being long term,” Bruce said.

Senators Notes: Zub, Pinto, Perron

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The Senators will indeed have Artem Zub back in the lineup to face the Islanders tonight, per TSN 1200 Ottawa. Zub had missed the last nine games with a concussion he sustained early in the team’s third game of the season against the Kings back on Oct. 14, but he’s been skating with the team for around a week, and it became clear yesterday that he was likely to return today at home.

It will be Jacob Bernard-Docker coming out of the lineup to make way for Zub’s return, a bit of a surprise given his exemplary possession play (55.3 CF%, fourth on the team). Travis Hamonic remains in the lineup despite going without a point and recording a -5 rating with a 46.7 CF% through 12 appearances. Zub will skate in his usual top-pairing role alongside Jake Sanderson.

Zub posted a +1 rating, one block and three hits in his three regular-season contests last month while averaging 13:58 per game, a number that was dragged down significantly given he sustained his concussion in the first period of his third game. He recorded a career-high 20 assists and 25 points with 122 blocks and 139 hits for the Sens last year in 69 games. Head injuries are becoming a bit of an unfortunate trend for Zub, who missed seven games early last season with a concussion as well and 12 games in 2022-23 with a fractured jaw.

There’s more on the Senators:

  • Shane Pinto skated before today’s game, but he didn’t take line rushes and will remain out against the Isles, per TSN 1200. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reported Wednesday that he might be an option to return, but instead, he’ll miss a seventh straight game with an undisclosed injury. He’s still listed as week-to-week but appears close to a return if his presence in tonight’s game was questionable 24 hours beforehand.
  • The same goes for David Perron, who remains around the club for home games and practiced today but remains out of the lineup while on personal leave. The 36-year-old, who signed a two-year, $8MM contract in free agency over the summer, had no points and a -4 rating in five contests before departing the team midway through last month.

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Zub, Pinto

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Many of the players on the Montreal Canadiens believe that they are in the learning-to-win stage of their rebuild and see a pair of recent losses as falling below expectations (as per Arpon Basu of The Athletic). Montreal lost to both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames in the past three days and could have won both of those games, particularly the Flames game (a game they led with less than three minutes left to play).

The Canadiens players have tried to look at the moral victories they can take from their two most recent losses, but given their expectations for this season, they can only see their recent stretch of play as falling below the standard they have set for themselves this season.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub could play tomorrow night when the team takes on the New York Islanders. Zub skated today as he tries to work his way back into the lineup after missing nine games. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion on October 14th against the Los Angeles Kings and has dressed in just three games this season. Ottawa badly needs Zub back on the ice, as his injury has thrust veteran Travis Hamonic into the top four, which isn’t an ideal situation for a team with playoff aspirations.
  • Senators center Shane Pinto could also suit up tomorrow night, according to Ottawa head coach Travis Green, who said that he is close (as per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). Pinto had skated on Monday before Ottawa made the trip to Buffalo and skated again today as he tries to work back from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss six games. Pinto’s presence in the lineup gives the Senators bottom six a completely different dynamic, given that Pinto is probably good enough to play in the top six but is relegated to third-line center duties because of the team’s depth down the middle.

Senators’ Shane Pinto Out Week-To-Week With Undisclosed Injury

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Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto has been designated as out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, head coach Travis Green shared with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Pinto was listed as a game-time decision for the team’s Friday game against Vegas but ultimately sat out. There seems to be no indication of when he could have picked up an injury, or what it would be. He played over 17 minutes of Ottawa’s 4-0 win over Utah on Thursday, showing no signs of limitation or wear.

Pinto has served a second-line role through Ottawa’s early season – recording three points, six penalty minutes, and four hits through the first six games. He’s continuing to earn hardy ice time after fighting his way back up the lineup last season. He missed the start of that season to a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s sports betting policy, but still managed 27 points and top-line deployment in the year’s latter half. That’s an 82-game pace of 54 points – a boost from Pinto’s 20-goal, 35-point rookie season.

The Senators recalled Cole Reinhardt to fill Pinto’s lineup spot on Friday. He recorded one assist in just seven minutes of ice time – likely a strong enough showing to stick around as the Senators now plan for weeks with a vacancy. The team isn’t currently carrying any extra forwards to rival Reinhardt’s spot, with Adam Gaudette and Nick Cousins already filling lineup vacancies. Reinhardt also stands as the Belleville Senators’ leading scorer, with five points through three games so far.

Pinto’s injury adds to Ottawa’s list of absentees. Artem Zub (concussion) and David Perron (personal) are also missing from the lineup, with Zub unexpected to play today or on Tuesday per Sportsnet’s Alex Adams.

East Notes: Jarry, Jarnkrok, Pinto, Tokarski

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The Penguins announced that they’ve sent goaltender Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh from their current road trip to work with their director of goaltending Jon Elkin.  Head coach Mike Sullivan indicated that this was the plan heading into the trip which has two games remaining on it.  Jarry is off to a particularly rocky start with a 5.47 GAA and a .836 SV% through his first three starts and while that’s a small sample size, he struggled late last season as well, eventually losing the starting role to Alex Nedeljkovic.  The assignment will give Jarry a few days to reset away from the team and he will remain on the active roster during this time.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok’s lower-body injury is believed to be a sports hernia, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 33-year-old has filled an important middle-six role for Toronto over the last two years but hasn’t been able to play this season due to the injury.  Jarnkrok is currently on LTIR and while he’s eligible to return in early November, that doesn’t seem likely to happen at this point as he has yet to skate since sustaining the injury.
  • Senators center Shane Pinto is listed as a game-time decision for their game on Friday, relays Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is off to a decent start to his season with three points in six games while logging nearly 18 minutes a night.  If he doesn’t play, Ridly Greig will likely move back to his natural position down the middle.
  • Still with the Senators, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests that Ottawa might need to make a move to shore up their goaltending depth with Mads Sogaard being injured last weekend. If they do look to do that, he feels they could once again turn to veteran Dustin Tokarski.  Ottawa brought in the 35-year-old on a training camp tryout that ended without a contract but Tokarski hasn’t signed anywhere since.  He spent last season with AHL Rochester, posting a 3.32 GAA and a .890 SV% in 24 games and is a veteran of more than 400 appearances at that level over 14 seasons.

Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Two-Year Deal

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The Ottawa Senators have signed center Shane Pinto to a two-year, $7.5MM contract. The deal will carry an annual average value of $3.75MM. Pinto went through a tumultuous season last year, missing the first 41 games of the regular season for violating the league’s gambling policy. He eventually signed a contract for the league minimum of $775K on January 19th.

Once he was back in the lineup, the 23-year-old had a strong season, dressing in 41 games and posting nine goals and 18 assists while registering a +9. His underlying numbers were excellent, particularly his possession numbers as he posted a CF% of 53.8% at even-strength.

The Franklin Square, New York native was probably hoping for more stability this offseason but settled on a two-year term which could effectively come with a third year at $5MM as the second year of his deal is reportedly for $5MM (as per CapFriendly).

A former second-round pick (32nd overall) in the 2019 NHL entry draft, Pinto went through a tough contract negotiation with Ottawa last summer before his suspension and is sure to be happy to have a deal done early in July. Ottawa was able to facilitate the deal with Pinto after they sent Mathieu Joseph to the St. Louis Blues (along with a third-round pick), effectively clearing out his $2.95MM cap hit for the next two years.

Pinto has been mainly a third-line center in Ottawa, however, with Joshua Norris injured last season Pinto was elevated in the lineup and played solid minutes as the Senators’ second-line center. Pinto averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per game which was an increase of more than two minutes a night. With the uncertainty of Norris going forward, the Senators have a terrific backup option with Pinto as he has already demonstrated he can be a second-line center in the NHL.

Shane Pinto Has Not Requested Trade From Senators

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2:32 p.m.: Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has counteracted Di Marco’s report, claiming that Pinto has not officially asked Ottawa for a trade.

10:13 a.m.: Earlier this morning, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that forward Shane Pinto may be leaning towards requesting a trade from the Ottawa Senators. Following up on the initial report, Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period confirms Pinto has officially requested a trade from the organization.

This request continues what’s been a very eventful four years in Ottawa. Originally drafted 32nd-overall, then a second-round pick, in the 2019 NHL Draft – Pinto turned pro at the end of the 2020-21 season and managed seven points across his first 12 games. It was an electric start but Senators fans would have to wait for the encore, as a dislocated right shoulder would rob Pinto of all but five games in the 2021-22 season. He came back from the injury with purpose last season, posting 20 goals and 35 points through 82 games while serving as an everyday middle-six center.

Finally removed from injury and on the back of a 20-goal season, this year was meant to be Pinto’s breakout performance. Instead, it very quickly became a year to forget, as Pinto was dealt a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. The punishment was handed out while Pinto was in the middle of contract negotiations with Ottawa. The Senators instead signed Pinto through the second half of the 2023-24 season, set on finding him a longer-term deal in RFA negotiations this summer. Pinto vindicated the deal with a strong nine goals and 27 points – on pace for 54 points across 82 games, which would’ve sat 17 points above his career-high.

But even after so many ups-and-downs, it seems Ottawa won’t be the ones to benefit from Pinto’s slow burn. He’ll instead enter the trade market, where plenty of teams will surely be eager to sign a productive, 23-year-old centerman. Ottawa extended a qualifying offer to Pinto before the June 30th deadline, giving them control over his rights throughout the summer, though any new team will also have to sign him to his next contract.

Shane Pinto Hoping To Be Offer-Sheeted

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Offer sheets are a rarity in the NHL and it’s even rarer that there is word of a player believed to be trying to solicit one on the opening day of free agency.  However, that appears to be the case in Ottawa as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that Shane Pinto’s camp will be looking to get an offer sheet when the market opens up on Monday.

[Related: Offer Sheet Thresholds for 2024]

The Senators and Pinto haven’t had much success with contract talks.  Last year, the two sides weren’t close to an agreement for most of the summer and just when it looked like they were closing in on an agreement, the 23-year-old was suspended for the first half of the season for a violation of the league’s gambling policy.  Upon being reinstated, he didn’t have much choice but to accept a pro-rated deal for the minimum salary of $775K.

To his credit, Pinto was rather productive for the Sens down the stretch, notching nine goals and 18 assists while logging over 18 minutes a night.  That brought him up to 30 goals and 40 assists in 140 career NHL appearances.

Both sides were believed to be interested in a long-term agreement but a report in mid-May suggested that they were far apart on money with Pinto’s camp believed to be seeking around $5MM on that contract.  The report that he’s now seeking an offer sheet indicates that they remain far apart in discussions.

A $5MM asking price pegs the required compensation at a first-round pick and a third-round pick.  Both of those must be 2025 selections and the offer-sheeting team must have their own picks to use; they can’t substitute one from another team.  That means that 16 teams are ineligible to attempt to give Pinto an offer sheet at that threshold, per CapFriendly, unless they’re able to re-acquire their own selections first.

Once the market officially opens up at 11 AM CT on Monday, there will generally be a free-for-all when it comes to unrestricted free agent signings so if Pinto is to get his way and get an offer sheet, he may have to be patient and wait for the dust to settle before assessing if there is a viable option out there.  Unlike many restricted free agents, salary arbitration isn’t an option as he is ineligible for one this summer so if he wants to show the Sens that he’s worth the money he’s seeking, an offer sheet is the only route he can take.

Snapshots: Pinto, Gomez, Demidov

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The Ottawa Senators and forward Shane Pinto are discussing the possibilities of a two-year bridge contract, shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Ottawa still prefers to sign Pinto to a deal closer to five or six years in length, though they’re off-put by Pinto’s request for $5MM-a-year on a long-term deal. Pinto is coming off the end of a year he’ll want to forget quickly, having been suspended for half the season for violating the league’s gambling policy and only scoring 27 points in the games he did play in.

Pinto scored 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie last season, appearing in all 82 games. The performance stamped him as one of Ottawa’s most promising young players, though his extended absence this year kept him from truly breaking out. The Senators will be hoping for that breakout on the first year of his new deal – and get the dreaded task of putting a number to their faith this summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Legendary New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez has taken to hockey management, assuming the general manager role and head coach for the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles (Twitter link). Gomez played in one season with the Eagles in 1996-97, posting 124 in 56 games as part of a championship-winning Eagles offense. He spent his next two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, before beginning an iconic NHL career, including two years as the assistant coach of the New York Islanders from 2017 to 2019. Gomez took a break from the game after that tenure, returning with an assistant coaching role with Surry this season. He’ll now kick off his managerial career in the same place he started his playing career, certainly looking to achieve the same results.
  • Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Ivan Demidov was dismissive when asked when he expects to move to North America in an interview with Scott Powers of The Athletic, saying only, “We’ll see what happens.” Demidov has been entrenched in rumors early in his hockey career, with many speculating that he and defenseman Artyom Levshunov are the top options for second overall. One of the few knocks against Demidov’s game has been his limited exposure to the KHL – instead playing nearly all of his hockey in the MHL, Russia’s U21 league. He similarly played off the question of whether he expects more KHL ice time next season, saying he wasn’t sure and likely wouldn’t know until after the draft. While neither answer was an outright no, Demidov’s uncertainty certainly doesn’t elicit excitement. He’ll remain an incredibly skilled player, surrounded by a litany of questions, as June 28th’s First Round draws closer.

Senators Notes: Pinto, Goaltending, Zub

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The Senators and Shane Pinto were trying to work out a new contract before the center suited up for the United States at the Worlds, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  However, there seems to be a sizable gap in negotiations.  Garrioch adds that both sides are interested in working out a longer-term agreement (five or six years) but there’s a big gap in the money.  Pinto’s camp is reportedly seeking around $5MM per season on a deal like that while Ottawa is coming in considerably lower.

The 23-year-old missed the first half of the season after being suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy which resulted in him accepting a contract for the pro-rated league minimum of $775K upon his return.  Pinto wound up being productive for the Sens down the stretch, notching nine goals and 18 assists while logging over 18 minutes a night, solid second-line numbers.  Pinto isn’t yet arbitration-eligible so it’s possible that these talks could drag out as they did a year ago before the suspension came down.

More on Ottawa from Garrioch:

  • The Senators shopped goaltender Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline but unsurprisingly, there wasn’t any interest. It was a rough first year in Ottawa for the 30-year-old who posted a 3.27 GAA and a .890 SV% in 55 games, hardly the return they were hoping for after giving him a five-year, $20MM contract back in July.  Considering how the season went, a trade seems unlikely without them either retaining money or adding a sweetener so it might be easier for them to move the final year and $2.75MM of Anton Forsberg’s contract.
  • Garrioch added that Ottawa kicked the tires on acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Bruins at the trade deadline. It’s widely believed that Boston will ultimately move Ullmark over the summer so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the teams rekindle discussions on that front in the coming weeks.  Ullmark has one year left on his contract which carries a $5MM price tag and had a 2.57 GAA with a .915 SV% in 40 games this season after taking home the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23.
  • Defenseman Artem Zub is believed to be a possible trade target this summer according to Garrioch. The 28-year-old has been a steady presence in their top four in recent years and is coming off a career-best 25 points in 69 games.  Signed at a $4.6MM price tag through 2026-27, he’d make sense as a trade target for several teams if GM Steve Staios opts to shake up his back end without moving his top pieces.

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