With Ottawa’s young stars and top players receiving top salaries, Shane Pinto’s next deal may need a bridge-style approach to fit within the team’s cap structure.
According to Elliotte Friedman 32 thoughtsAlthough Pinto is a talented and versatile forward, the Senators are struggling to find a long-term contract that does not exceed the salaries of their top young players.
Friedman emphasized the depth of Ottawa’s roster, noting that players like Thomas Chabot, Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Linus Ullmark and Drake Batherson already have higher salaries, around $8 million per season. “Everyone knows that guy is a very talented player, but let’s look at the Senators… how many guys do you name before you get to Pinto?” Friedman asked.
Given that these two sides might not be able to reach an agreement, Friedman suggested that a shorter-term deal could be an attractive option for both sides.
A bridge contract would allow Pinto to further develop and work his way up the payroll. If he has multiple seasons of high production, the rest of the locker room will have no problem with him demanding a higher salary. Meanwhile, the extra time before he is given a monster long-term extension buys the Senators room to manage their cap and other top contracts.
“I just don’t know if you’ll be able to do that.” [keep it under the top salaries] unless you go for the short term,” he added.
Pinto is probably okay with a short-term deal
Friedman suggested that Pinto not be signed to a shorter-term deal. While the long-term certainty would be nice, if he’s willing to bet on himself, that bet could pay off big time. A short-term contract could potentially give him UFA status while the salary cap increases exponentially. In two or three seasons, the market alone will force the Senators to pay Pinto a lot more money than if he signed a team-friendly deal now.
This is a somewhat tricky situation for Ottawa. They want to keep the player, but don’t want to overpay him or disrupt the chemistry in the locker room. If a long-term option is the only option, Friedman wonders if the Sens will go the same route the Winnipeg Jets did when they signed Kyle Connor – namely by asking the rest of the top players if they were okay with signing a player to a deal much bigger than their own. The Jets were good at it. Will the Senators’ top players be too?
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