There is only one restricted free agent on the Ottawa Senators’ roster and money is tight when it comes to re-signing young forward Shane Pinto. This has led to much trade chatter, especially since Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned Pinto will command $2.5 million and the lack of space for him could lead to a trade.
While some pundits have hinted at the possibility of the Boston Bruins looking to acquire Pinto, the Philadelphia Flyers have actually made a move to get him on their roster.
According to Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period, the Flyers extended an offer to the Senators in a proposed deal that included shipping Mathieu Joseph, who carries a $2.95 million salary for the next three years to Philadelphia as a cap-clearing move along with Pinto. There were however no detail provided on Philadelphia’s return though Di Marco mentioned that it involved a current roster player.
However Di Marco believes the Flyers have shifted focus after they didn’t get a timely response from the Senators after submitting the offer.
“The ball is seemingly in OTT’s court and PHI has kind of moved on; they “aren’t expecting back” , at this moment.”
There is a sense that the Senators would be willing to part with Pinto because they expect 21-year-old prospect and 2020 first-round pick (28th overall) Ridly Greig could be as good as or better than Pinto. The young forward is coming off his first full season in the NHL, in which he posted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games and could be traded for high-end prospects that could crack the roster this season.
However, the Flyers’ offer did not tempt the Senators to pull the trigger.
On Wednesday, Pinto was absent from camp with GM Pierre Dorion commenting: "Hope to have him in camp as soon as we can."
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