Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto returned to the team Friday at its practice, and he is looking forward to playing in the second half of the season. Pinto has been suspended for the first 41 games of the season as a result of a suspension due to sports betting.

The specific circumstances over which Pinto was involved with sports betting are not clear. However, a number of sources have indicated that another person may have been able to access Pinto's betting account and make wagers. As a result, the NHL's betting policy was violated.

Pinto was overjoyed to be skating with his teammates.

“It's awesome,” Pinto said. “You kind of take it for granted being around the team and how much the boys mean to you. I don't want to get too emotional about it, but it's awesome.”

Pinto is a 23-year-old center who will be competing his his second season with the Senators. He had brief cups of coffee with the team in 2020-21 and 2021-22, before a full season last year in which he scored 20 goals and added 15 assists. While he struggled with some aspects of defense and team play, the 6-3, 201-pound Pinto is being counted on as one of the team's building blocks for the future.

The fact that he was not allowed to play for the first half of the season contributed to a poor start by the Senators.

There was some thought at the start of the year that the team would have a chance to compete for the playoffs, but the Senators  find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 14-23-0 record. Shane Pinto will be eligible to play January 21 when the Senators travel to Philadelphia in game No. 42 of the season.