Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thought: The Podcast – Babcock Decision Coming? episode on Ottawa Senators RFA forward Shane Pinto.
Marek: “We’ve talked a lot about Shane Pinto. Now, he’s in a very unique place. We talked about Jamie Drysdale‘s status with Anaheim not too dissimilar. Cannot be offer sheeted. If the team wants, they can grind. I don’t know if they want to alienate the player that way.
But what is the latest with Shane Pinto here and the Ottawa Senators?
Friedman: “I always say this. Anything can change with one phone call. That goes triple for right now because deadline’s spur action and we’re getting close to the deadline of training camp. So we’ll see if something gives way here.
To this point, the two sides hadn’t been close. I think also because Ottawa is going to have to do something to fit in Pinto’s number. Whatever that’s going to end up being. Somewhere in the mid- two’s I’d assume.
I do think the talk around Pinto has picked up. Now, anybody’s allowed to talk to Pinto because he’s a restricted free agent but as you said, you can’t offer sheet him. So there’s nothing you can do without Ottawa’s kind of approval here.
I think teams have asked Ottawa, ‘okay, what are you doing here?’ And I’ve heard there’s been some talk about, if a team wants Pinto, does Ottawa say, ‘look, if you want him, you may have to take another player that clears up our salary situation.’
You know, for whatever Ottawa gets in return, cause Pinto’s a good player. This is not going to be a small return. You’re gonna have to give up something to get him. And it’s been suggested to me that maybe you might have to take something else, that Ottawa needs to clear up some of it’s salary room. So I think that’s out there.
But I do think that there are teams that are interested. To me first and foremost, I think Ottawa wants to keep the player. But, we’ll see. Ottawa knows if, if they trade him. they’re gonna get a good player back. So, we’ll see.
Teams I kind of wonder about in all this, Like I do wonder about Boston.”
Marek: “Any centers out there you do have to wonder about Boston. That’s a given.”
Friedman: “What does Boston have to give up? Like that’s the one thing I look at. I wonder about Boston. I also wonder about someone like Philly.
Like I mean, that’s the think here. One thing I have heard, is I do think some teams have kind of talked to Ottawa and said, ‘okay, we’re getting close. What are you thinking here? A good young center who scored 20 goals in this league. Like who isn’t going to be interested in that?”
Marek: “Every team is looking for that, thank you every much.”