Senators Put Massive Offer On Table for Pinto

Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators center, kneels during pregame warmup

Shane Pinto leads the NHL in goal-scoring going into Sunday's play, having lit the lamp seven times on the young season in just six games. As a pending restricted free agent, the soon-to-be 25-year-old is putting himself in line for a hefty new contract.

And while the Ottawa Senators weren't knocking down the door this summer to get Pinto re-signed (the two sides were said to be far apart in talks), their thinking seems to have evolved a bit.

It appears now that the Sens have ramped up their negotiations to try to get an extension done. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, they have now put a big long-term offer out there for Pinto's camp to chew on.

Hearing this week the Senators put an eight year offer on the table for Pinto. Not saying that anything is imminent… But what I do believe is that the Senators wanted to show that they are serious about putting a stake in the ground to keep him.

No dollar figures have been leaked as yet. But Ottawa has come a long way in their thoughts on Pinto in a short time. We heard before the preseason that the Senators said that Pinto's camp was in 'no rush' to re-sign. "We're gonna let the season start and not have Shane distracted (with contract talks)," said GM Steve Staios, back in late August.

TSN analyst Frankie Corrado, speaking on TSN 1200 Ottawa about a month ago, projected that Pinto's new contract will, at minimum, start at a $7 million AAV, and possibly supersede that of current second-line center Dylan Cozens ($7.1M).

Pinto is wrapping up a two-year contract this year with an AAV of $3.75 million.

"If Shane Pinto scores 30 goals this year, which I think he's very capable of, I don't think they're going to be able to keep him under Dylan Cozens money," said Corrado."

And while Cozens is off to a nice start as well, with three goals and five points in the six games, Pinto has been outdoing him thus far, and is certainly well on his way to topping that 30-goal plateau.

He registered his second 20-goal season last year, with 21 and 37 points in 70 games, along with a plus/minus rating of +10. The 6'3", 204-pound center is doing his part to land that huge extension; we'll have to keep an eye on where this one goes.