Shane Pinto has developed into a solid NHL player for the Ottawa Senators, earning himself a new four-year, $7.5 million AAV contract that began this summer. He’s become a key player in the middle six of the lineup but still has room to grow and establish himself as a top player on the team.

The Senators are now entering a phase where they should be a perennial playoff contender, having made the post-season in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12 and 2012-13. The team’s key players have shown what they are capable of, but they need to give just a bit more to help them progress beyond the first round in 2027. That got just a little bit harder without the help of Brady Tkachuk, so others need to step up.

Pinto in particular has the potential to develop into one of the best defensive players in the league, having already shown his pedigree with increased penalty killing time this past season. If the Senators are to have sustained success over the next few seasons, having him show up in a big way will be crucial to achieving that.

Increased Points Production

The 2025-2026 season saw Pinto reach career highs in all three points categories, with 23 goals and 23 points for 46 total points through 72 games. This improved on his previous best of 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists) from the previous year, and Pinto managed to achieve this despite starting in the offensive zone just 32.9% of the time.

The hope for the Ottawa Senators, then, will be that Pinto can enhance these numbers even further across an 84-game campaign. Based on his production pace last season, if Pinto can match that and play the full 84 games, he could reach around 53 or 54 points.

This would be ideal production for a $7.5 million player; scoring around 25 goals and slightly more assists should be a reasonable expectation for a player who was once viewed as the team’s future second-line center. With Dylan Cozens having a strong year, with 28 goals and 59 total points, it’s more likely that he remains the preferred choice behind Tim Stützle, with Pinto carving out his own role as the third-line center.

If the Senators can have their middle-six centers producing at a 50-point pace consistently, that would give the team arguably the strongest middle-six group through the center in the league.

Chasing The Selke

Pinto’s 2025-2026 season showed that he could easily become one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. After improving his offensive numbers, he was essential to the Ottawa Senators’ defensive game and even finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting as a result.

He finished behind some exceptional players in the league, such as Montreal Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli, and even Vegas Golden Knights’ Mitch Marner – all players who are consistently in the conversation for the Selke.