Report: “Frustration and Anger” in Shane Pinto Camp

Things continue to spiral downward in the Shane Pinto drama in Ottawa. The latest report insinuates "growing frustration and anger" in the Pinto camp, as the restricted free agent remains without a new contract.

We reported on the weekend that the Senators low-balled Pinto with their latest offer, and now, according to Ian Mendes in The Athletic:

Here we are into the month of October and the contractual stalemate continues. And so the question really needs to be asked: How badly do the Senators really want Pinto?
...Pinto’s agent Lewis Gross has declined to comment to The Athletic while negotiations are ongoing, but there has to be a growing sense of frustration and anger from the Pinto camp.
The Senators have had more than five months since last season concluded to get Pinto locked into a new contract.

Mendes writes that the Sens, who now have little to no cap room, seem to have prioritized getting five other players signed, while leaving their 20-goal scoring top rookie from last season holding the empty bag. The five who they went out and signed this summer:

Erik Brannstrom (re-signed, $2M)
Travis Hamonic (re-signed, $1.1M AAV)
Vladimir Tarasenko (free agent deal, $5M)
Joonas Korpisalo (free agent deal, $4M AAV)
Zack MacEwen (free agent deal, $775K AAV)

They even absorbed the $2.5M contract of pending UFA Dominik Kubalik, who may not even be part of their plans. Add all of that up, and there's less than a million left under the cap. It's easy to see why Pinto's camp is seething.

"Dorion prioritized every single one of these players ahead of Pinto and now he’s left himself with no wiggle room", as Mendes noted.

And so here we are, 10 days before Opening Night, Shane Pinto is still on the outside looking in, and tempers are fraying.

Photo: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports