Boston Bruins eyeing the Ottawa Senators for a trade.

A failure to get a deal done has the vultures circling around the Ottawa Senators.

Over the last few weeks concerns in Ottawa around 22 year old centerman Shane Pinto have been growing with the youngster still unsigned now just days away from the start of training camps in the National Hockey League. The good news for the Senators here is that Pinto cannot be targeted by an offer sheet and does not have arbitration rights, both things that give the Senators considerable leverage in negotiations.

In spite of that it now appears clear that rival NHL teams have been inquiring about what it would take to get Pinto from the Senators, an indication that they believe a deal is not close to getting done. The Senators have very limited cap space to work with and a big contract demand from Pinto only further complicates matters for the Senators moving forward.

Senators insider Bruce Garrioch does not believe the Senators are looking to trade Pinto at this time, but specifically mentions that the Boston Bruins have stepped up their aggression in regards to acquiring the young forward amidst these stalled negotiations.

From Garrioch:

Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman noted on his podcast Friday that a few teams have reached out to Gross to see what it might take to get the 21-year-old Pinto signed to a new deal.

A report earlier this month indicated the Boston Bruins have shown interest because they need help in the middle badly.

An aggressive offer from the Bruins could solve this issue for the Senators while also netting them a nice return, but whether or not the Bruins will be able to entice the Senators into pulling the trigger on a trade remains to be seen.