Ottawa Senators Rumors: Trade To Be Made So Team Can Sign Pinto

The Ottawa Senators still have yet to sign Shane Pinto after a strong rookie season and might be forced to make a trade to do so. The team has under $1 million in cap space to start the season without running a full roster. Ideally, the Senators could bridge Pinto on a cheap deal for one year until lots of cap space opens up, but after scoring 20 goals and 35 points and playing in mainly a top-six role, he is wanting more.

The two sides are at a stalemate because Pinto does deserve more than he is being offered, but the Senators don't have the cap space for it. The team is likely also thinking that the young centerman will be in a reduced role from last season and he might not be able to match his numbers, thus a lower cap hit for a year or two is suitable.

The Senators have $5 million coming off the books after this season, but that doesn't help them right now. The most likely trade candidate to free up the necessary space is Mathieu Joseph. He had a great initial showing at the end of the 2021-22 season, but was not the same player all of last season. There's a slim chance he gets any time in the top-six to get any of that scoring magic he had back from 2021-22, so nearly $3 million could be much better used. There are some young options to take his spot on the wing and Pinto has the future in Ottawa and has shown it. Trading Joseph now would not only allow Pinto to be signed for closer to what he's asking for, but so the Senators would have some space to add at the trade deadline if they are in the playoff race.