OTTAWA — Believing in a core.
The signing of Shane Pinto to a four-year contract extension worth $30 million by Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios is not just about Pinto. It is placing a bold wager on a Senators nucleus made of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson with Pinto as a key part.
“Obviously, really special,†said Pinto about his extension on Thursday. “Weâ€ve been building something pretty cool the last few years here, and just for them to show the commitment to me that I’m part of the core.â€
Itâ€s the right wager, as Pinto has proven to be a phenomenal shutdown two-way centre who can score. Thatâ€s hard to find in the NHL.
Itâ€s lofted him into the conversation to make Team USA for next yearâ€s Olympics. At just 25, Pinto is on pace for career highs in every statistical offensive category while driving play on one of the best shutdown third lines in the game, along with Michael Amadio and Claude Giroux. Pintoâ€s the ultimate American-made Swiss Army Knife of a hockey player.
“Controlling the other team’s best players, which is hard to do in this league,†said Senators coach Travis Green about Pintoâ€s two-way play.
Imagine this team selling rather than buying. It would make no sense.
For years in Ottawa, it has been about developing the young core. Staios†extension of Pinto demonstrates his belief that the window to compete is now and in the near future. The core is all entering their prime and all signed through at least 2028.
“A lot of it is to watch them grow together,†said Staios. “I think that this eliminates any distractions as well. (As I’ve) said, that I have belief in this core group of players.â€
“They know that they can get better.â€
Pintoâ€s extension also ensures that Ottawa will be strong down the middle, the hardest position to staff. Ottawa has three centres under the age of 25 signed long-term.
“Between Tim and Shane and Dylan (Cozens) and (we believe) their potential growth as well as a group(of centres),†said Staios.
Already this season, the Senators have shown they can be a competitive playoff-calibre team without Tkachuk, who has been out all but three games with a thumb injury. A testament to how good this core is even without their most important player.
Drake Batherson is another brick in the Senators†wall of talent, scoring at more than a point-per-game pace this season and signed through 2027.
Despite all that, this core has managed only two playoff wins. Growth needs to turn into results.
“We’re still a young team,†said Pinto.
“I just turned 25 and Tim is still 23 and Sandy (too), so the core is pretty special. I know. everyone could see it, and everyone’s going to buy it now. I think everyone’s bought in, and we’re hoping to do some special things here in the near future.â€
Pinto is also a well-liked teammate, with an infectious laugh and happy-go-lucky nature.
“I wanted him to stay for as long as possible,†Stutzle said. “Heâ€s a really good friend of mine… You’re always happy when he scores. He gets fired up. And yeah, he’s just such an important player for us.â€
Pinto is also very close with Tkachuk, which could help the Senators†pitch to keep Tkachuk in a few years. Tkachukâ€s long-term future is hanging over every move the Senators make from now until 2028 when his current contract expires.
The Senators likely wanted a longer commitment from Pinto, but he understands he has options.
“Want to see where it’s at (salary cap) when I’m 29 and I just felt like it was just a good deal for both sides,” said Pinto.
“And I think those are a good part of my career. Hopefully (when I’m) 25 to 29, I have some good years. And yeah, that’s the number I came up with (4 years).”
Like the rest of the core, Pinto has been improving season by season. Since 2022-23, he has set a career high in either goals, assists or points every season.Â
“He’s earned this contract. He’s a hell of a player and a great kid,†said Staios.
Thatâ€s why $7.5 million in a rising cap environment made sense for both sides, and this season. The extension also allows Staios and Pintoâ€s awkward conversations in the bowels of the CTC to end.
“Those are over, thankfullyâ€, Pinto joked about the negotiations.
Still, Staiosâ€s work isnâ€t done. He now needs to shift to surrounding the core with more talent to insulate and improve the roster. As we noted recently, under his tutelage, the cavalry he has brought to the Senators got them to the playoffs. But the struggles and inconsistencies, not to mention the contracts of Linus Ullmark, Fabian Zetterlund and Cozens, could hold Ottawa back in the long term. The track record so far is mixed.Â
Even after the Pinto signing, the Senators will have over $22 million in cap space next summer with only Leevi Merilainen, Jordan Spence and possibly Nick Jensen as major players in need of new contracts.
Will the Senators, a small-market team, use most of that cap space? How will they try to improve a roster with few prospects and no first-round pick this season?
“We’re continuing to look at ways to improve the group, mindful of who they are as a group as well, and how they’re taking hold of it,†said Staios.
A talented core, no doubt. Yet this team is not yet a Stanley Cup contender. The question is, how close are they? The Senators likely need at least one more high-end forward and another top-four defenceman to contend.
The Senators havenâ€t been close to competing for the ultimate goal since 2017. They lacked the pieces. Pinto re-upping demonstrates how good the core has become, and that the Senators’ window is soon, which explains the length and price tag of Pintoâ€s contract.Â
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.