Senators studying two-year deal for Shane Pinto

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The Ottawa Senators may try to bridge the gap in an attempt to get centre Shane Pinto to sign on the dotted line.

While the Senators would prefer to sign Pinto to a five- or six-year deal, and that hasn’t been ruled out, league sources told Postmedia on Tuesday the two sides are studying the option of a two-year term to get a contract in place.

Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, has been able to get a few depth signings done in the last week, but the 23-year-old Pinto is the most noteable restricted free agent.

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Postmedia has reported that Pinto’s New York-based agent, Lewis Gross, is seeking a $5 million U.S. per season on a long-term deal, but the Senators haven’t been willing to go to that number in negotiations.

The belief is if the two sides focus on a shorter-term deal at a lower average annual value, that might help them get a contract in place.

This is a difficult negotiation and Pinto doesn’t have the right to file for arbitration, which means if a deal isn’t done by Sept. 20, then there are no guarantees he’ll be in training camp.

The discussions have been made more difficult by the fact Pinto missed the first 41 regular-season games last season because he was suspended for breaking National Hockey League gambling rules.

When the suspension came down, he wasn’t in camp because the club initially didn’t have the salary cap space to sign Pinto. Then, former general manager Pierre Dorion was informed by the NHL the investigation was underway and all offers were pulled off the table.

Both parties want to get Pinto signed to a contract, but they need to come to agreement on his value. He has 30 goals and 70 points in 140 career NHL games since he left the University of North Dakota at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

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Pinto has shown he’s a solid No. 3 centre in the league and has a chance to expand that role. He took on the No. 2 role in the middle of last season after Josh Norris underwent shoulder surgery in February. Pinto finished with nine goals and 27 points in 41 games last season.

Under the ideal scenario, the Senators would like to get a contract in place with Pinto before they have to issue him a qualifying offer on June 30.

Staios would like to have an idea what kind of money he has to spend when the unrestricted free agent market opens on July 1 at noon, and having Pinto under contract would be another piece to the puzzle in place.

A TANGIBLE TRADE?

It’s been well-documented the Senators will make a push for veteran defenceman Chris Tanev if he opts not to sign with the Dallas Stars and test the UFA market on July 1.

The Senators tried to bring in Tanev last season to help provide veteran help, but he wouldn’t waive his no-move clause to be dealt to Ottawa by the Calgary Flames. He wanted a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup and was able to advance to the Western Conference final with the Dallas Stars.

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But there has been an interesting twist to this story that may help propel the 34-year-old Tanev to sign with the Senators.

A league executive confirmed a report that the Senators have held talks with the Seattle Kraken about Tanev’s brother, Brandon, a 32-year-old veteran winger who could play a third- or fourth-line role with Ottawa.

He was claimed by the Kraken in the expansion draft and is headed into the final year of his contract at $3.5 million. Brandon Tanev had seven goals and 16 points in 66 games with Seattle last year.

To fit that salary under the cap, the Senators are trying to move winger Mathieu Joseph before the NHL draft is held June 28-29 at The Sphere in Vegas. The belief is Ottawa isn’t looking for much in return because he has two years left at $2.95 million per season.

GUENETTE INKS ONE-YEAR DEAL

The Senators took care of one piece of business by signing defenceman Max Guenette to a one-year, two-way deal Tuesday.

The deal will pay Guenette a salary of $775,000 U.S. in the NHL and $120,000 with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville.

The 23-year-old Guenette finished with seven goals and 34 points in 58 games with Belleville. He also appeared in the AHL all-star game and suited up for seven games with Ottawa last season.

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“Max played an important role in Belleville last season,” Staios said in a statement. “He’s a strong puck mover who routinely demonstrates good hockey sense. He’s been a deserving recall to Ottawa and someone we’ll look forward to seeing in training camp this fall.”

Guenette made his NHL debut in Ottawa’s 2022-23 regular-season finale on April 13, 2022, at Buffalo.

Selected No. 187 overall by the Senators in the 2019 NHL draft, Guenette ranks second among Belleville defencemen in games played and is tied for the lead with Lassi Thomson all-time with 93 points.

The club also signed depth forward Angus Crookshank last week.

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