Nieto was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.
Nieto was recalled by the Penguins on Sunday, but he didn't appear in any games during his stint with the NHL club. He'll head back to the AHL for now, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the NHL relatively soon.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Back in NHL
Rotowire
Nieto was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.
Nieto has bounced between the AHL and NHL levels as an emergency recall. He has been a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh's last two games. Nieto has one goal, two assists, 30 shots on net, 20 blocked shots and 38 hits in 31 NHL appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Assigned to AHL
Rotowire
Nieto was loaned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Nieto was a healthy scratch for Saturday's matchup versus New Jersey. He could return to the big club before Tuesday's game versus the Islanders. Nieto has one goal, two assists, 30 shots on net, 20 blocked shots and 38 hits in 31 appearances with Pittsburgh this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Added back to NHL roster
Rotowire
Nieto was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
It seems Nieto's demotion to the minors was nothing more than a paper transaction that has already been reversed. Even with Nieto being on the Penguins' roster, he is far from a lock to suit up versus the Devils on Saturday and figures to remain primarily an emergency depth option the rest of the way.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Returned to AHL
Rotowire
Nieto was loaned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, per the AHL media site.
Nieto was a healthy scratch for both games this week. He has one goal and two assists in 31 games with the Penguins this season. Nieto had one goal and three points in eight AHL games before his recall.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Called up Tuesday
Rotowire
Nieto was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday under emergency conditions.
Nieto's promotion doesn't bode well for the availability of Thomas Novak (lower body) for Tuesday's clash with the Golden Knights. Even with his recall, the veteran Nieto is far from a lock to get into the lineup against Vegas, with Danton Heinen likely ahead of Nieto in the pecking order.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Lands on waivers
Rotowire
Nieto was waived by the Penguins on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Nieto has played in just seven of the Penguins' last 15 outings, generating 11 shots, 12 hits and three blocks while averaging 11:16 of ice time. The decision to waive the veteran forward likely means the team is expecting Bokondji Imama (upper body) to be ready to come off injured reserve ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Flyers. At this point, it seems unlikely Nieto will be re-signed this offseason when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Losing playing time
Rotowire
Nieto was scratched for the fifth time in nine contests when he sat out Saturday's 3-0 win over the Predators.
The Penguins have had Bokondji Imama at left wing on the fourth line over the last two games. Nieto has not been a healthy scratch for more than three contests in a row this season, but he has done little with his time in the lineup. The veteran winger has three points, 24 shots on net, 32 hits and a minus-3 rating over 28 appearances. Nieto's ice time doesn't need to be tracked closely, as his production is too low to help in most fantasy formats.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Generates assist
Rotowire
Nieto logged an assist and four hits in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Islanders.
Nieto has a helper in back-to-back contests after snapping a four-game slump. The 32-year-old winger continues to play in a bottom-six role, and he's been finding modest success there. Overall, he has just three points through 16 outings, but he's added 13 shots on net, 20 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating. He's not a factor in fantasy for most formats, but he should be a regular presence in the Penguins' lineup.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Plucks apple on power play
Rotowire
Nieto notched a power-play assist in Monday's 7-3 win over the Flyers.
Nieto sees almost no power-play time -- he was on the ice in that situation late Monday since the score was lopsided. With two points over his last six games, Nieto's finding a little more offense but remains on the fourth line with little chance of moving up. Overall, the 32-year-old has two points, 13 shots on net, 16 hits, 11 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 15 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Gets first goal of season
Rotowire
Nieto scored a goal and went plus-2 in Thursday's 9-2 win over the Canadiens.
Nieto had been scratched for the previous three games. He opened the season scoreless over nine outings before breaking through in Game No. 10 with his first tally of the season. The 32-year-old is mostly a defensive forward and figures to spend the bulk of his playing time on the fourth line. He has added 10 shots on net, seven hits, seven blocked shots and a minus-4 rating this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Ready to play Friday
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) was taken off injured reserve and will be in action against the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Nieto will play in an NHL game for the first time in nearly a year, having last suited up versus the Lightning on Nov. 30, 2023. The winger has never reached the 30-point threshold in his career but should still be capable of putting up 20-plus points in a bottom-six role now that his knee injury is finally behind him. Once Kevin Hayes (upper body) and Cody Glass (concussion) are cleared to play, minutes could be harder to come by for Nieto, though he should be in the lineup more often than not.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Back from conditioning stint
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) was recalled from his conditioning assignment Thursday.
Nieto remains on injured reserve but could be trending in the right direction toward a return to action versus the Blue Jackets on Friday. During his two-game stint in the minors, the forward recorded one goal and a plus-2 rating for the Baby Pens. Once given the all-clear, Nieto should be in the mix for a bottom-six role, which could relegate Jesse Puljujarvi or Valtteri Puustinen to a spot in the press box.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Starting conditioning assignment
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan Saturday.
It's a significant step for Nieto in his return following offseason knee surgery. The veteran winger played 22 games with the Penguins last year, logging one goal and four points.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Cleared for contact
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) was a full-contact participant at practice Monday, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Nieto has been skating with the team for a while but appears to have upped his participation level Monday. Given the long-term nature of the 31-year-old forward's knee injury, he probably shouldn't be expected to immediately jump into the lineup versus the Islanders on Tuesday. Once given the all-clear, Nieto will have to be activated off long-term injured reserve, a move that will likely send Valtteri Puustinen down to the minors.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Considered month-to-month
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) is considered to be month-to-month, per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday.
Nieto is likely to begin the season on the long-term injured reserve list but that hasn't officially happened yet. He had a goal and four points in 22 contests with the Penguins in 2023-24. When he's healthy, Nieto will probably serve in a bottom-six capacity.
Nieto underwent reconstructive MCL surgery on his left knee surgery May 2, the team announced Wednesday. He's expected to require six-to-seven months to recover.
Nieto last played Nov. 30, 2023 and underwent laparoscopic surgery on his right knee back in January. His new timetable suggests that he won't return until November at the earliest. Nieto should be in the mix for a bottom-six role once he's healthy.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Suffers secondary injury
Rotowire
Nieto (knee) sustained an undisclosed injury while rehabbing from his knee surgery. The center could find himself heading back under the knife ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Nieto was limited to a mere 22 appearances this season in which he tallied a meager five points. At this point, there seems to be some concern that Nieto won't be fully healthy in time for the start of next season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Matt Nieto: Ends season on shelf
Rotowire
Nieto only drew into 22 games in an injury-riddled campaign in 2023-24.
Nieto only managed four points through the 22 games he was healthy for, so fantasy managers don't need to track his status.
