Shane Pinto is staying in Ottawa for the long haul, with the Senators locking up their rising star center to a four-year, $30 million deal.
The 23-year-old will earn $7.5 million per year through 2029-30, a nice bump from the rumored $6.5 million he turned down on a longer deal before this season.
It’s been quite a journey for Pinto in Ottawa. He’s really found his groove this year, putting up 14 points in just 17 games as the team’s second-line center. That’s already closing in on half of what he scored all of last season.
And he’s not just getting lucky. While his shooting percentage is at a career-best 17.4%, the analytics show he’s earning those goals through better play, not just good fortune.
The Senators had to walk a fine line with this contract. They needed to reward Pinto’s breakout performance without going overboard on a player who’s still developing.
Looking around the league, the deal makes sense. It lands between recent contracts for young centers like Marco Rossi ($5M per year) and Mason McTavish ($7M per year).
Pinto’s path to this payday wasn’t always smooth. After lighting it up in college with 60 points in 61 games at North Dakota, he showed early promise in Ottawa with seven points in his first 12 NHL games.
Then came the setback. A shoulder injury in 2021-22 basically wiped out his whole season. He tried coming back too soon and ended up making things worse.
But he bounced back strong. Now he’s becoming exactly what the Senators hoped for when they drafted him 32nd overall in 2019.
The shorter term of this deal fits a growing trend of young NHL centers signing for fewer years. It could make for some interesting free agent markets down the road.
