The Ottawa Senators have several of their core players already signed to long-term contracts and the team could add forward Shane Pinto to that group in the near future.

Pinto got off a hot start this season, scoring eight goals in his first nine games. While he has cooled off since then, with zero goals and five assists in his past seven contests, Pinto has become a key piece in the Senators lineup, especially with captain Brady Tkachuk out with a thumb injury.

Senators’ general manager Steve Staios said on Monday that he plans to sit down with Pinto’s agent, Lewis Gross, to continue to talk about a contract extension. The Sens already have forwards Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens as well as defenceman Jake Sanderson signed through the 2029-30 season, while Tkachuk, Ridly Greig and Linus Ullmark also have multiple seasons remaining on their current deals.

He said he is confident that the Sens and Pinto’s camp will come to an eventual agreement.

“Shane is an important player for us,” said Staios on TSN 1200. “We’ve been there for him along the way and watched him develop within the group. I do feel comfortable we’ll get something done.”

Pinto, a second-round pick (32nd overall) by Ottawa in 2019, had a breakout season in 2022-23, playing in all 82 games with the Senators, scoring 20 goals with 35 points.

However, he missed half of the 2023-24 season after he was suspended for 41 games for violating the NHL’s rules on sports betting and also missed all of training camp that year because of a contract dispute. He made his season debut on Jan. 21, 2024 after signing a one-year deal, finishing the year with nine goals and 27 points in 41 games.

Despite missing 12 games with injury last season, Pinto hit career highs in goals (21) and points (37) as the Sens made the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Pinto had a goal and one assist in six postseason games before the Sens were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

“I’ve been upfront about how good of a player he is and an important player for our group,” said Staios.