LIer Shane Pinto looks forward to just playing hockey for Ottawa Senators

OTTAWA — Shane Pinto was all smiles as he came off the ice from the Senators’ morning skate even if an undisclosed injury kept the Franklin Square product sidelined for a seventh straight game on Thursday night against the Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.

Things are more settled despite his latest lengthy absence from the lineup — he’s likely to return Saturday in Boston —with a new deal and not being suspended.

“It’s just less [to worry about],” Pinto told Newsday. “You just get to play hockey and just not worry about it. It does weigh on your mind when you’re going through it but, now, I can just play hockey and just enjoy it. It definitely makes the game better for sure.”

Pinto, 23, is in the first season of a two-year, $7.5 million deal and likely headed to a much more lucrative contract as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in 2026.

There was thought he was headed that direction in the summer of 2023 as an RFA. But he never signed a deal before the NHL handed him a 41-game ban for the vaguely announced “activities relating to sports wagering,” though the league said there was no evidence Pinto bet on hockey.

He also missed all but five games in 2021-22 because of a shoulder injury.

That now seems like a long time ago.

The dynamic center started this season with one goal and two assists in six games.

“He’s a great player,” Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson. “Last year, you didn’t see him a whole lot. He’s strong in both ends of the rink. Good instincts offensively. Definitely one of the guys you’ve got to be aware of.”

Even though Pinto grew up a Penguins’ fan dreaming of being Sidney Crosby’s teammate, he does have Islanders’ ties beyond trade speculation that linked him to his hometown team during his holdout prior to being suspended.

“I don’t know why that is,” Pinto said of frequently being linked to the Islanders. “I guess it’s my hometown. I do find it interesting. But I’m a Senator.”

He and Brock Nelson both went to the University of North Dakota, though not at the same time, and overlapped at the World Championships. And he rented Hudson Fasching’s home for the offseason.

“I helped him facilitate it,” Nelson said. “I knew he was a Long Island kid but I didn’t know he trained specifically at Northwell [Health Ice Center in East Meadow)]. He was looking for a summer rental and he asked me if any guys were looking and had an empty place for the summer.

“He’s a great guy, great kid. Works extremely hard from what I saw at the World Championships. Good player.”

Despite leaving Carey High School after his sophomore year for Connecticut’s South Kent High School and Selects Academy when he decided to fully concentrate on hockey, Pinto said the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach) and the Rangers’ Adam Fox (Jericho) were inspirational for him.

“You see the last 10 years a lot of NHLers,” Pinto said of Long Island products. “Fox, McAvoy, it just starts with them paving the way for us. I think Long Island, in general, is pretty popular with sports, whether that’s hockey, lacrosse, baseball. Long Island, they really invest in their kids’ sports.

“Hopefully we pave the way for younger guys now.”

Notes & quotes: Rookie defenseman Isaiah George, 20, started his second NHL game (and sixth professional game) skating on the top pair with Dobson after the duo received some ice time together in Tuesday night’s 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins at UBS Arena. “The moment they played together at the end of the game against Pittsburgh I thought they played really well,” coach Patrick Roy said. “So why not give it a shot at the beginning of the game and see how it goes? I have a lot of confidence in George. He played well last game . . . ” Defensemen Alexander Romanov (upper body) and Mike Reilly (concussion) remain day to day and did not make the trip . . . Goalie Semyon Varlamov was back in net after Ilya Sorokin started the last three games . . . Left wing Matt Martin drew in on the fourth line for Fasching after being a healthy scratch the previous three games.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.