Senators' Shane Pinto inks deal prior to gambling ban return - ESPN

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto is prepared for a fresh start — and he's got a new contract to go with it.

The club announced on Friday a one-year, $775,000 deal for Pinto that kicks in right before he's eligible to return from a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's sports wagering rules. Pinto can make his season debut on Sunday in Philadelphia and will earn a prorated salary of just under $360,000 for the remainder of this year.

Pinto, 23, became the first NHL player of the league's modern era to receive a gambling-related suspension when he was handed a half-season ban in October. No details were given on the exact circumstances around Pinto's wagering, and Pinto himself provided no clarity on that when speaking with reporters in Ottawa last week. But he did relay his own reaction to being cut off from hockey for months.

«Definitely, I was caught off guard a bit [by the ruling],» said Pinto. «It just kind of came out of nowhere and kind of went from there.»

The Franklin Square, New York native spent time on Long Island with family while forced to be away from the Senators. He kept in shape there through skating and conditioning exercises.

Pinto was back in Ottawa last Friday to resume practicing with teammates. Senators head coach Jacques Martin said at the time he expected Pinto would be in the lineup on Jan. 21 against Philadelphia, but the restricted free agent had to sign a contract first. That business now being handled paves the way for Pinto to step into a lineup spot.

It's probable Pinto signs a longer-term deal with Ottawa in the offseason, but for now he's at least able to get back on the ice. And the Senators should be happy to have him. The center has played the entirety of his career in Ottawa