Shane Pinto is focused on his job, not on his future.
The Ottawa Senators third-line centre was choosing his words carefully when it came to discussing the possibility of signing a long-term contract extension on the third day of training camp.
The 24-year-old Pinto, who will become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2026, finished with a career-high 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games last season with the Senators, but he isn’t worried about his future.
“I’m just going to focus on the next few weeks and, if something comes to fruition, we’ll see and go from there,” Pinto said after the club’s skate on Friday at the Bell Sensplex in Kanata. “I think I just want to focus on the boys winning some games and we’ll see what comes of it.”
Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, told reporters on Wednesday that he has held talks with Pinto’s New York-based agent Lewis Gross.
Pinto is entering the final season of a two-year contract extension that will pay him $3.75 million this season.
“I had discussions with his agent, I guess it was a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it was a positive dialogue,” Staios said. “They felt that getting the season started and not having it as a distraction was the way that they wanted it to go.
“They know that I am open to discussing it any time. We talked about Shane being an important part of this team and I look forward to having more discussions to have him as part of this core moving forward.”
Although Staios is available to speak with Pinto’s camp at any time, it appears that both sides would like to see how the start of the year unfolds before engaging in further discussions.
“We’ll continue to discuss things and see where it goes,” Staios said. “There is good dialogue on Shane, but I really couldn’t put a timeline on it.”
Pinto has the right to file for arbitration next summer and doesn’t really want this hanging over his head once the puck is dropped on Oct. 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That’s why he’d rather set the talks aside for the moment.
“I just want to focus on hockey,” Pinto said. “It’s a big year for everyone. I don’t want to be a distraction to anyone and I want all of us to take the next step, and hopefully have a good start, and then we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Pinto is still trying to establish where he fits with the Senators. We’ve seen steady improvement in his game since he returned from a 41-game suspension midway through the 2023-24 campaign for breaking the National Hockey League’s gambling rules.
You get the feeling that Pinto can push Dylan Cozens for playing time and a spot on the club’s second line. League executives who watch the Senators say he’s still trying to find his footing under coach Travis Green, who is heading into his second year behind the bench.
Green speaks highly of Pinto.
“There is room to grow,” Green said. “He has taken steps every year in the league. He’s definitely, as far as matchups, learned that side of the game. Can he be a consistent 25- to 30-goal scorer?
“You’ve got to put in time in the league to find out if you can do that, but he’s a dedicated kid. He works hard on his craft and he wants to be his best version of himself. Those are elements you have to have if you want to continue to grow and get better.
“I definitely think he’s capable of improving and becoming a better player than he is now.”
Pinto worked hard this summer on getting to the next level.
Related
Not only has he put himself on the radar screen for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, but Pinto also won a gold medal for his country at the world championship last spring.
He joined teammate Drake Batherson in Halifax this summer to skate with the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.
Being around the best can help a player like Pinto elevate his game because you’re talking about two Stanley Cup champions and they’re also among the most elite in the game.
Pinto also spent a couple of weeks with the group last summer.
“The way they compete in the summer, it’s the middle of summer, and they’re going pretty much Game 7 in all these drills,” Pinto said. “That just shows what it takes to get to that elite level.
“Whenever I get a chance to go out there, I’m going to keep doing it.”