Pinto’s Hot Start Sparks Contract Chatter

As each game goes by, Shane Pinto continues to display his value to the Ottawa Senators and their fans.

Just five games into the Senators 2025-26 campaign, Pinto’s six goals are tied for the NHL lead with Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev. His seven total points, all recorded at even-strength, rank second league-wide to Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander (8). Thursday, Pinto also displayed his skill, beating Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer to help his team earn two points in a 3-2 shootout victory.

While the versatile centre is producing offensively, Pinto can play in any situation. Whether he’s called upon to shut the opposition’s top line, penalty kill, or power play, Pinto is able to perform his role to a tee. The Senators 32nd overall 2019 Entry Draft selection is averaging a personal high 18:28 time-on-ice per game early in the season, 2:58 on the PK, the most of any forward, and is also in the mix of the team’s PP rotation. In addition, Pinto is 64.4% on draws (38-21) on a club that leads the entire league with a 63.1% success rate.

And at least for the time being, the Long Island area resident and his agent Lewis Gross hold serve in a contract year. A pending restricted free agent at season’s end, turning 25, November 12, Pinto holds the option to file for arbitration if there’s no agreement between the two parties, but for all intents and purposes, that’s a long way away.

Senators general manager Steve Staios and Gross and several conversations during the offseason, and on multiple occasions, the Senators GM said talks remained positive. A day prior the team’s season-opener in Tampa Bay, Staios told assembled media, including Hockey HotStove, “I think each contract is its own individual one. As you’ve seen, there was a big one that came down the other day (Connor McDavid) that was certainly been a topic of conversation. So I won’t speak to that. But certainly ongoing dialogue and positive dialog on Shane.”

Pinto’s success hasn’t been lost on his teammates, with a certain player chirping “Cha-ching” in the background during his media scrums.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark is impressed by Pinto’s growth as a player, “Well-deserved, he did a very good job during the summer. You see the confidence. Can see a little bit more swagger as well, blossomed a little bit, if you will. I use those analogies, and I’m really happy for him. You know, he’s doing the right job. He’s doing defensive zone work. He’s doing the neutral zone. He gets pucks deep, making good decisions all around the ice, which helps us kind of create either a stop or a play on the fore check, or not just creating turnovers.“

“He’s such a great guy, and we’re all just so happy for him right now. He’s playing awesome hockey. He’s an unbelievable player. And you know, he plays the game the right way, and he’s got rewarded for it. So I know everyone in this group is really happy for him right now,” added Dylan Cozens.

Currently earning $3.75 million, there’s little doubt Pinto will eventually receive a large salary increase. How much remains to be seen. The only question is, will it be $6M or $7M-plus? If Pinto can maintain offensive consistency, a 30-plus goal season isn’t out of reach. But one does have to remember Pinto opened the 2022-23 season with a similar start, garnering five goals, one assist over his first six outings. The following 76 games saw him register 15 goals, 14 assists.

This was Pinto’s first full season with the Senators after a 12-game stint upon completion of his collegiate career at the University of North Dakota and his five-game injury-shortened 2021-22, where he underwent shoulder surgery.

Pinto certainly has grown as a player and is displaying a confident “swagger” as Ullmark described, not to mention being recognized by the United States Olympic Team braintrust.