The regular season is rapidly approaching, and the Washington Capitals are putting the final touches on what will become their 2023-24 opening night roster. With confidence oozing out from new head coach Spencer Carbery in his interviews during the preseason, it seems as though there is growing confidence that the Caps can make it back into the playoff picture this season.
With players like Ivan Miroshnichenko and Vincent Iorio emerging as players who could crack the opening night lineup, there is still room to improve. One player the Capitals should consider bringing in to bolster their forward group is Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto.
Related: Capitals: Edmundson’s Injury Opens Up Opportunity For Iorio
The Capitals’ bottom six is strong and one they can have faith in to help bring them back into the playoffs. But if they want to have a shot at going further than just squeezing into the postseason, they will need to find scoring. Pinto brings that and would bolster the team’s depth immediately. He is a strong two-way player who was used up the middle with the Senators and could become a star alongside a much better Capitals team. If Pinto can achieve 35 points with the rebuilding Senators, he can easily reach 45-50 on the Capitals with much more skilled forwards.
Who Is Shane Pinto & Why Would He Benefit the Capitals?
Pinto is a 22-year-old forward from Franklin Square, New York, and is currently a restricted free agent (RFA) with his rights owned by the Senators. He was drafted by the Senators in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 32nd overall after a strong showing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) split between the Tri-City Storm and the Lincoln Stars. In 56 games in the USHL, Pinto scored 28 goals and added 31 assists for 59 points, which comes out to a 1.05 points-per-game average.
Pinto followed up his strong draft year by deciding to play for the University of North Dakota in the NCAA, where he scored 16 goals and added 12 assists for 28 points through 33 games. In the same season, he represented the United States at the World Junior Championship, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points in five games.
In the following 2020-21 season, Pinto returned to North Dakota, where he scored 15 goals and added 17 assists for 32 points through 28 games before earning his first taste of NHL action with the Senators at the end of the season. In his first stint, he scored one goal and added six assists for seven points through 12 games.
He will be entering his fourth season in the NHL but only played his first full season during the 2022-23 campaign scoring 20 goals and adding 15 assists for 35 points through all 82 games. For a guy who’s still relatively new to the NHL to produce that way, he is a star in the making. It’s fairly likely he will end up with a short-term bridge deal for his next contract, and the Capitals should try to make some moves to bring him in.
Pinto, ideally, could squeeze into the third line up the middle while the team moves Strome up to the wing on the second line. Adding another centerman who can produce offensively might give them a slight overabundance of them, but he adds exactly what the team needs, scoring depth. The Capitals have the greatest goal scorer of all time in their lineup as team captain, but still finished the 2022-23 season 20th in goals scored with 253, which isn’t enough by any means.
What Would It Take to Bring In Pinto?
While the Capitals have a strong projected lineup heading into the new season, capitalizing on some rough contract talks between Pinto and the Senators to try and add some offensive depth is the right thing to do. Trading for Pinto gives the Caps some more flexibility with their lineup and gives them more opportunities to spread out the scoring. While it likely takes a spot away from a prospect, it’s the right move to make if the team is set on contending this season.
Pinto is a strong player and while there are some ongoing issues between him and the Senators regarding his contract, they will not just give him up for free if they decide to move him. If the Capitals opt to make a trade, I would offer up Aliaksei Protas and a draft pick in exchange for Pinto. Protas is a promising prospect but hasn’t broken out just yet, and I’m sure the Senators would be willing to accept that deal instead of letting Pinto eventually go for less, or for free.
Regardless of what they choose to do, the Capitals open their season on Friday, Oct. 13 against their Metropolitan Division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice. They’ll be hoping to start the season strong and will be praying that they don’t run into any injury trouble. With or without Pinto, this Capitals team is very dangerous in comparison to last season’s roster, and fans should be excited.
