Shane Pinto is being rewarded after his scorching start to the season.
The forward signed a four-year, $30-million contract extension with the Ottawa Senators, the team announced on Thursday.
Pinto, a 25-year-old centre, was scheduled to reach restricted free agency after the season, his first of two years of eligibility before hitting the unrestricted market.
Instead, the Franklin Square, N.Y., native will stick around Canada’s capital a little longer.
“Shane is an important part of our core and we are pleased to have him with us for the foreseeable future,” general manager Steve Staios said. “This is a great opportunity for this group to grow together.”
Pinto came out of the gates hot this season with four goals in his first two games and seven in six. He’s cooled off since, being held without a goal in his past eight outings, though he has recorded five assists in that span.
For his career, Pinto’s tallied 59 goals and 62 assists in 227 games, all with the Senators after being selected by the franchise in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2019 draft.
In 2023, Pinto was suspended 41 games by the NHL for violating the league’s sports betting policy by asking friends in the U.S. to place wagers on his behalf.
But he returned for the entire second half of that season, played 70 games the following season and has appeared in all 17 Senators contests this season, helping the team sit third in the Atlantic Division at 8-5-4.
Pinto was also a key part of a Senators squad that broke a lengthy playoff drought last season before falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. He had one goal and one assist in his first post-season action.
