Snapshots: Pinto, Gomez, Demidov

The Ottawa Senators and forwards Shane Pinto are discussing the possibilities of a two-year bridge contract, says Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Ottawa still prefers to sign Pinto to a deal closer to five or six years, although they are not deterred by Pinto’s request for $5 million per year on a long-term deal. Pinto is coming off a year he’ll want to forget, having been suspended for half the season for violating the league’s gambling policy and scoring just 27 points in the games he played in.

Pinto scored 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie last season, appearing in all 82 games. His performance established him as one of Ottawa’s most promising young players, although his extended absence this year prevented him from truly breaking through. The Senators will be hoping for that breakout in the first year of his new deal – and will have the dreaded task of committing some to their faith this summer.

Other comments from around the competition:

• Legendary New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomes has taken on hockey management, taking on the role of general manager and head coach for the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles (Twitter link). Gomez played in one season with the Eagles in 1996-97, posting 124 in 56 games as part of a championship-winning Eagles offense. He spent his next two seasons with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL before embarking on an iconic NHL career that included two years as an assistant coach of the New York Islanders from 2017 to 2019. Gomez took a break from the game and returned in an assistant coaching role at Surry this season. He will now start his managerial career in the same place where he started his playing career, and will certainly be looking for the same results.
• Top 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Ivan Demidov was dismissive when asked when he expects to move to North America in an interview with Scott Powers of The Athletic, saying only: “We’ll see what happens.” Demidov has been entrenched in rumors early in his hockey career, with many speculating that he is a defenseman Artyom Levshunov are the best options for second place overall. One of the few setbacks to Demidov’s play was his limited exposure to the KHL. Instead, he played almost all of his hockey in the MHL, Russia’s U21 league. He similarly played down the question of whether he expects more KHL ice time next season, saying he wasn’t sure and probably wouldn’t know until after the draft. While neither answer was an outright no, Demidov’s uncertainty certainly doesn’t stir excitement. He will remain an incredibly skilled player on June 28, surrounded by a litany of questions^eThe First Round is getting closer.