Could St. Louis Offer Sheet or Trade for Ottawa's RFA Shane Pinto?
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"If there's a player that's available that we give a future asset for, that we see a window of 3-4-5 years, that we control for that amount of time, then it's up to us to sell them on why they want to extend."
Those were words said by St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong on the potential of adding a younger player to their roster, should one be available.
Well, there may be one of those types of players available.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Shane Pinto — currently an RFA — and the Ottawa Senators have hit a crossroads in their contract discussions, and it may lead to the 23-year-old centerman asking for a trade out of Canada’s capital.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Servalli mentioned via his X account that Pinto has not officially requested a trade out of Ottawa.
However, in addition to LeBrun’s reporting, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch has cited that Pinto’s agent Lewis Gross has been looking for an offer sheet from other NHL teams.
As our Lou Korac reported, the Blues have plans to build a more polished younger roster through a potential trade and exploring the RFA market. Will the Blues get aggressive and send an offer sheet for Pinto?
With the reports that Pinto may be available and looking for a new NHL home, St. Louis could be a strong candidate to sniff around into acquiring the American center who just had a terrific World Championships.
Pinto, 23, turns 24 in November and has had to battle for his ice time in Ottawa behind other young star players Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, and Drake Batherson.
There is a definite belief from Pinto and his camp that he can be a second line center in the NHL, but there is no room for him to play that role in Ottawa. But there's room for him in St. Louis.
The team has a potential opening in that spot, which Pinto could take advantage of. The team probably would like to have Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich as full-time wingers, and recently acquired Alexandre Texier fits well as the team’s potential third-line center.
It would be a daunting task for the New York native, who has only played one full season in the NHL (82 games, 20 goals and 35 points in 2022-23).
Last year, while Pinto was an RFA, the league suspended him for 41 games for violating the NHL’s gambling policies. He signed a one-year contract and played out the second half of the season, suiting up in 41 games and scoring nine goals and 27 points while averaging around 18 minutes a night.
Pinto played in a top six role for the Senators from January and on. Maybe that stint and his season a few years back is enough to entice the Blues.
He would have plenty of veteran support insulated with him in St. Louis potentially playing alongside forwards like Brayden Schenn, Brandon Saad, or Pavel Buchnevich.
AFP Analytics has two contract projections for Shane Pinto, one long-term, and one short-term.
The short-term projection pegs his cap hit at around $3 million. If a player receives an offer sheet ranging from $2,290,457 to $4,580,917 annually, the compensation is a second-round draft pick.
The Blues recently traded away their 2025 second-rounder to offload Kevin Hayes’ contract, but they still retain their 2026 and 2027 second-round draft picks.
The long-term projection has him at a $5.29 million cap hit on a five-year term. If the Blues were to offer sheet Pinto at this price, they would have to cough up a first and third round draft pick.
With the abundance of prospects St. Louis has accumulated in recent years, the management team may be okay with parting ways with a first round pick for a younger player who will be in a Blues jersey for more than just three years.
However, is that too lofty of a price to pay for Pinto?