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Matt Nieto

Metropolitan Notes: Nieto, Aho, Allen

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Prior to their afternoon tilt against the Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned both forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per Tribune-Review reporter Seth Rorabaugh.

Both were still considered healthy scratches for the NHL game, and as Rorabaugh notes, their return to the AHL is a part of the procedural process of emergency recalls. Teams are only allotted four standard recalls post-trade deadline, so these type of paper moves are common this time of year.

Nieto’s two-year, $1.8MM deal he signed with the Penguins ahead of the 2023-24 season is set to expire at the end of the season. His first year in Pittsburgh ended with a knee injury that required two separate procedures. While he was able to return to Pittsburgh’s lineup in a fourth-line role this past November, his play had been ineffective, registering just three points and a minus-eight rating in 31 contests. With the team falling down the standings and looking toward the future, the decision was made to option Nieto to the AHL. After clearing waivers on Feb. 27, Nieto was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and appeared in AHL games for the first time in 10-plus years.

Aho, a veteran of 190 NHL games, has spent the entire season playing for the Penguins’ AHL-affiliate and has suffered through multiple injuries along the way. He signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Pens this past summer, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup to this point. In 17 games in the AHL this season, Aho has failed to register a goal and has collected seven assists. While he was able to post 23 points for the Islanders during the 2022-23 season, he has failed to find that success again and now finds himself buried behind younger prospects like Jack St. Ivany and Owen Pickering, and recent NHL-level additions Vladislav Kolyachonok, Conor Timmins and P.O. Joseph.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • The Devils’ 2024 deadline trade for goalie Jake Allen has officially been fulfilled and finalized, per James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now. The Devils will officially send the Canadiens a 2025 third-round pick. The terms of the deal came with stipulation that if Allen played in 40 or more games this season, the third-round pick would become the Devils’ 2025 second rounder. To this point, Allen has only participated in 25 contests, and at the completion of today’s game against the Penguins, the clock has run out on the Habs’ hopes of transferring the pick to a second rounder. As Jacob Markstrom’s backup, Allen has been solid for the Devils. Despite his 11-13-1 record on the season, he has a .910 save percentage and his goals against average sits at a nice 2.60. He is set for free agency following the season, and will undoubtedly be on the radar of many teams in need of support between the pipes.

Penguins Assign Sebastian Aho And Matt Nieto To AHL

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Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned defenseman Sebastian Aho and forward Matt Nieto to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

Nieto has had a tumultuous second season with the Penguins, missing nearly half of the year with a knee injury. He returned to the lineup in mid-November and dressed in 31 NHL games, registering a goal and two assists with a -8 plus/minus rating. Nieto was then placed on waivers a few weeks ago and cleared before he was assigned to the AHL for the first time. The 32-year-old was recalled earlier this week, but didn’t see any game action and has not played an NHL game since February 23rd against the New York Rangers.

Nieto is in the final year of a two-year contract he signed on July 1st, 2023 and might not see any one-way NHL offers this summer given his injury concerns and lack of contributions at the NHL level.

Aho signed a two-year, one-way deal with the Penguins last summer but has not seen any NHL action this season. The 29-year-old spent the previous three seasons with the New York Islanders and was an NHL regular before this year. He was signed as depth but was unable to make the team out of training camp and has instead served as a veteran presence in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Aho has dressed in 17 AHL games this season and has posted seven assists. He may see some time in the NHL down the stretch as the Penguins are dealing with a few injuries to their defensive group.

Penguins Recall Matthew Nieto And Sebastian Aho

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The Pittbsurgh Penguins have recalled forward Matthew Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho to the NHL roster. The pair bring over 800 games of collective NHL experience, with the lion’s share owned by the 32-year-old Nieto, who’s played in 704 career games.

This season has marked Nieto’s first time appearing in the minor leagues in over a decade. He successfully cleared waivers on February 27th, after posting just three points in 31 games in the season’s first half. Nieto didn’t make his season debut until mid-November, after undergoing two surgeries to address a knee injury that occurred nearly a year prior. The injury capped Nieto’s 2022-23 season at just four points in 22 appearances. He’s struggled to get his legs back under him ever since, and fell from Pittsburgh’s fourth-line, to the press box, and ultimately to the minor leagues over the course of this season.

The AHL assignment hasn’t sparked Nieto like some may have hoped. He has three points, two penalty minutes, and a plus-one through eight games – continuing his trend of menial scoring. Nieto hasn’t scored double-digit points since the 2022-23 season, when he potted 24 points in 81 games split between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. That total nearly rivaled his career-high of 26 points set in 74 games of the 2017-18 season. Nieto has been a career fourth-liner, amounting an 11-year career through two separate tenures with both the Sharks and Avalanche, before landing in Pittsburgh in 2023. He’s totaled 206 points in 704 career games, and seven points in 53 games with the Penguins.

Aho hasn’t proved too much more productive than his forward counterpart. He signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with Pittsburgh this summer but has had terrible luck in seeing it through. Aho has suffered three separate injuries, ultimately holding him to just 17 AHL games and seven assists on the season. His latest injury forced Aho out of 22 games between January 4th and March 4th. He’s recorded one assist, two penalty minutes, a minus-one, and nine shots on net in three games since returning. With his sea legs back under him, Pittsburgh has opted to recall Aho for the first time this season.

The pair of Nieto and Aho will most likely serve as nothing more than depth options for Pittsburgh’s Tuesday night matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll operate behind Trade Deadline acquisitions Thomas Novak and Conor Timmins – and could be the first to step in should the new faces face any challenges with stepping into Pittsburgh’s lineup.

Penguins Activate Matt Nieto, Place Blake Lizotte On IR

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped around forwards on their injured reserve, activating Matthew Nieto (knee) but shelving Blake Lizotte (concussion). Lizotte suffered his injury after a shot from linemate Drew O’Connor hit him in the face. He immediately left the game, ending his night after just 3:36 in ice time.

This is the second concussion of Lizotte’s season – with the first suffered during the pre-season and holding him out of Pittsburgh’s first 11 games. It also earned him three weeks on IR, from October 7th to October 31st. Lizotte has played in seven games since, netting two goals on eight shots. It’s the first time in Lizotte’s seven-year career that he’s played outside of the Los Angeles Kings, though the change of scenery hasn’t come with a prime lineup role. Lizotte is averaging just nine minutes in ice time, nearly three minutes lower than he ever averaged with the Kings. He scored 39 goals and 108 points in 327 games with L.A., with a single-season high of 11 goals and 34 points in 2022-23.

Lizotte will be quickly replaced by veteran forward Nieto, who’s making his first return to the NHL since suffering a knee injury on November 30th of last season. The injury ended his season after just 22 games and four points. He received surgery soon after but would have to go under the knife for a second time in April after suffering an additional injury while rehabbing. Nieto was held out through the start of this season, not skating until he began a conditioning assignment with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on November 9th. He scored a goal in his season debut – his first AHL game since 2014 – marking his only point in two conditioning games.

Nieto should be primed for a hardy role right out of the gate, with Pittsburgh now facing injuries to each of Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, and Lizotte. Glass is also on IR with a concussion, while Hayes is week-to-week with an unspecified upper-body injury. Pittsburgh will be two roster spots over the limit when Glass and Lizotte return. Their only waiver-exempt forward is Vasili Ponomarev – which could prompt a tough choice between Lizotte, Nieto, Samuel Poulin, and Valtteri Puustinen.

Penguins Recall Matt Nieto, Vasiliy Ponomarev; Reassign Joel Blomqvist

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The Penguins announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated Matthew Nieto from his LTIR conditioning loan and recalled forward Vasiliy Ponomarev from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pittsburgh reassigned goaltender Joel Blomqvist to WBS to open a necessary roster space.

Nieto, 32, has not seen NHL ice since Nov. 30, 2023, against the Lightning. The veteran sustained a left knee injury that game that, after a few setbacks, required laparoscopic surgery in early January.

Even after the initial surgery, setbacks persisted. The procedure wasn’t expected to be season-ending, but Nieto’s late February return window came and went without much news.

In May, the Penguins announced that Nieto underwent reconstructive MCL surgery on the knee, one that carried a far lengthier recovery window but would ideally stop the persistent setbacks. So far, that’s been the case. He’ll look to make his season debut on Friday against the Blue Jackets, six and a half months after his last surgery and nearly one year after his last NHL game.

The second-round pick of the Sharks in 2011 landed with the Pens in free agency in 2023, signing a two-year, $1.8MM contract. The 5’11” left-winger recorded one goal and three assists in 22 games last season, averaging 11:37 per contest, before being shut down.

Nieto scored once in two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on his conditioning loan over the past few days. It was his first AHL action in over a decade, last touching minor-league ice while with the Sharks organization in 2013-14.

Recalling both Nieto and Ponomarev indicates that center Blake Lizotte may be unavailable for tomorrow’s game after taking a puck to the face Wednesday against the Red Wings. Lizotte, 26, already missed the first 11 games of the regular season with a concussion he sustained in a similar incident during the preseason. He had two goals in seven games since coming off LTIR at the end of October.

The Penguins acquired Ponomarev, 22, as one of the centerpieces of last season’s trade that sent star winger Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes. Drafted 53rd overall by Carolina in 2020, the Russian center scored a goal and an assist in two games in his first taste of NHL action last season for the Canes.

Ponomarev sustained an upper-body injury in preseason for Pittsburgh and started the year on IR but was cleared to play a little over two weeks ago. He has one assist in five games for WBS since being assigned there on Halloween.

Combined with last season’s one goal in four games for the Baby Pens after the trade, it’s a little bit of a concerning start in the Pittsburgh organization for Ponomarev. Two points in nine contests is a far cry from the 35 goals and 85 points he’d put up in 114 games for AHL Chicago while in the Hurricanes organization.

Despite those two rather significant storylines, Blomqvist’s demotion may be the most notable of the three roster moves. The 22-year-old had been the Penguins’ best goaltender through the first five weeks of the season, filling in admirably with Alex Nedeljkovic starting the season on IR and de facto starter Tristan Jarry struggling enough to earn a two-week conditioning stint in the minors.

Like Ponomarev, the 6’2″ Finn was a member of the second round in the 2020 draft. He leads Penguins goalies in wins (3), SV% (.904), quality starts (4), and GSAA (1.0). It was a strong showing on the heels of a dominant 2023-24 season for WBS, earning All-Rookie Team and Second Team All-Star honors after posting a .921 SV%, 2.16 GAA and 25-12-6 record for the AHL club.

Yet leaving Blomqvist as part of a three-goalie rotation isn’t what’s best for his development, nor is it what’s best for hopefully getting Jarry back on track after his horrid start to the season. Jarry, who had a .836 SV% in three games before his conditioning loan, is expected to make his first NHL start in nearly a month tomorrow against Columbus. He has four seasons remaining on his contract at a $5.375MM cap hit.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Recall Tristan Jarry, Assign Matt Nieto To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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Two weeks ago, the Penguins opted to send goaltender Tristan Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan.  That loan has a two-week limit which has now expired.  Accordingly, the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from the minors.  Jarry remained on Pittsburgh’s active roster while in the AHL so no corresponding move was needed.  Meanwhile, the team has also sent winger Matt Nieto to the AHL on a conditioning loan.

Jarry got off to a particularly rocky start to his season, posting a 5.47 GAA and a .836 SV% in his first three starts.  While that’s a small sample size, it was certainly cause for some concern.  Accordingly, when Alex Nedeljkovic returned, Pittsburgh elected not to send youngster Joel Blomqvist back to the minors, instead keeping three goalies.

After doing that briefly, the Penguins sent Jarry back from their road trip to work with their goalie coach away from the rest of the team.  After a couple of days of that, the sides decided that a stint in the minors made sense.  Jarry certainly made the most of it, getting into five minor league contests, putting up a 2.16 GAA and a .926 SV% in those outings.

It will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh opts to deploy Jarry.  They might be inclined to give him another NHL start relatively quickly to see if he can continue his improved performance but a three-goalie rotation is often difficult to work with.  Blomqvist has impressed in his first taste of NHL action and doesn’t deserve to lose much time or be sent down while Nedeljkovic is in the first season of a two-year deal signed a few months ago to keep him in the fold.  For now, at least, it looks like they’ll carry three netminders and try to make it work.

As for Nieto, it has been more than 11 months since he last saw game action.  The 32-year-old is coming back from a knee injury and is on LTIR.  This means that his conditioning loan carries a shorter timeline than Jarry as the standard one is capped at three games and six days although two games can be added to that with league permission if it’s necessary.  Nieto had four points in 22 games with Pittsburgh last season and is in the final year of his deal which carries a $900K AAV.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Bunting, Nieto

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The Penguins were without winger Bryan Rust at practice today, per Josh Getzoff of SportsNet Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Rust is being evaluated for a lower-body injury he sustained against the Canucks on Saturday, and there’s no timeline for his return to the ice yet (via Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop).

Rust, 32, left the weekend loss to Vancouver after getting his right leg tangled up awkwardly with Canucks winger Nils Höglander. It’s been a mediocre start to the campaign for the five-time 20-goal scorer, who’s been limited to three goals and an assist in eight games with a -7 rating. But he’s still averaging 19:20 per game – that’s second-most among Pittsburgh forwards and, correspondingly, a large hole to fill for a team short on forward depth if he misses any extended time.

Almost no Penguin has started the season as they’d like to, aside from a handful of exceptions – namely Evgeni Malkin, who’s turned back the clock with 14 points in 10 games. But it’s been especially difficult for Rust, who also missed the season’s first two games with a separate lower-body injury. If he can’t play tomorrow against the Wild, Cody Glass is the extra forward on hand and will return to the lineup after missing the Canucks game with an illness.

Other items of note out of Pittsburgh:

  • One of this season’s biggest disappointments so far has been winger Michael Bunting. Acquired from the Hurricanes near the tail end of last year as arguably the highest-value part of the return for Jake Guentzel, he’s fallen completely flat with just one assist in nine games. He’s already been a healthy scratch once in 2024-25, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports the Penguins organization as a whole is “very unhappy” with his performance. It’s a completely unforeseen drop-off after he ended last season with 19 points in 21 games for the Pens, mainly playing alongside the red-hot Malkin.
  • Winger Matthew Nieto returned to practice today for the first time since sustaining a knee injury that ended his 2023-24 season all the way back in November, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Nieto, 32 next week, underwent laparoscopic surgery on his left knee shortly after the New Year but suffered a setback that required him to undergo a reconstructive MCL procedure in May. After inking a two-year, $1.8MM deal in free agency in 2023, Nieto had a goal and three assists in 22 appearances for Pittsburgh before the season-ending injury.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Nedeljkovic, Nieto

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust participated in the team practice today wearing a white (non-contact) jersey (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Rust has been dealing with an injury that he likely suffered in a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and may not suit up for the Penguins opener this week.

Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas told the media yesterday that the team was taking extra precautions with Rust, who will certainly be a key cog for the Penguins this season alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. Anthony Beauvillier has been taking Rust’s spot on the Penguins top line alongside Crosby and Drew O’Connor, however, Rust appeared to be getting reacclimated with his linemates today which likely means he is close to returning.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins’ goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the ice today prior to Pittsburgh’s practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The Penguins backup is considered week to week due to an undisclosed injury and landed on injured reserve earlier this week. His injury will force the Penguins to rely heavily on starter Tristan Jarry to start the year after Jarry didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s final 13 games of the regular season last year. If both netminders post similar results to last season, its possible that Nedeljkovic could become the Penguin’s starter this season.
  • Penguins forward Matt Nieto also skated today before Penguins practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The 31-year-old had surgery on his right knee in January and was slated to return to the lineup but missed the remainder of the season and then required left knee surgery in May. Nieto has been skating infrequently with his other injured teammates and is reportedly still two months away from returning to the lineup (as per Rorabaugh). The Penguins have a stockpile of bottom-six forwards available to them making it unlikely that Nieto will receive much playing time when he does return to health.

Kris Letang, John Ludvig, Matt Nieto Undergo Surgeries

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Three Penguins have gone under the knife in recent weeks, general manager Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday. Defenseman John Ludvig and winger Matt Nieto could miss the beginning of the 2024-25 season after undergoing successful extensor tendon and MCL surgeries, respectively. Star defenseman Kris Letang also underwent surgery to repair a fractured finger on his left hand on Friday but isn’t expected to miss out on any training camp action with an eight-week recovery timeline.

Ludvig had his left wrist surgery done back on April 24, the team said. His recovery window is four to six months, meaning he may be ready for training camp but could also miss the first few weeks of the regular season. Nieto will miss a more significant portion of next season, undergoing reconstructive MCL surgery on his left knee at the beginning of this month. He has a six-to-seven-month recovery timeline, putting his return to game action well into November or December 2024.

Today’s news offers some clarity into Dubas’ open-ended comments at his end-of-season media availability last month. The GM said Letang was searching for a second opinion on an undisclosed injury that he played through down the stretch, putting some speculative doubt into his availability at the beginning of next season.

A finger fracture falls firmly in the best-case scenario category for the 37-year-old, who should begin training camp ready to go as he enters Year 3 of his six-year, $36.6MM extension. He played in all 82 games last season for the second time in his 13-season NHL career, finishing just behind Erik Karlsson in Penguins defense scoring with 10 goals and 51 points.

Nieto is undergoing his second knee surgery in 2024. In January, he had laparoscopic surgery on his right knee, which was initially expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks but ended up costing him the rest of the season.

Dubas said last month that Nieto was also seeking a second opinion on whether surgery or rehab was required for his MCL injury. He obviously opted to go with the former. He sustained the initial right knee injury in late November, ending his 2023-24 season after just one goal and four points in 22 games. The 31-year-old inked a two-year, $1.8MM deal with Pittsburgh shortly after free agency opened last summer. Upon returning to the lineup next season, he likely won’t factor into anything more than a fourth-line role.

Ludvig’s rookie year was also stunted by injuries, namely a concussion sustained in his NHL debut that kept him out for nearly a month. After being claimed off waivers from the Panthers during training camp, the 23-year-old had three goals, five points and a -12 rating in 33 contests in a third-pairing role. He’s under contract next season at a $775K cap hit but will become eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Metro Notes: Drysdale, Ristolainen, Seeler, Nylander, Nieto

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Coming from today’s media availability with the General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere, there were several updates on injured members of the organization’s defensive core. Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports that defenseman Jamie Drysdale is expected back before the end of the regular season, but the same expectation is not held for Rasmus Ristolainen.

Furthermore, in the most positive development, O’Connor mentions that defenseman Nick Seeler is very close to a return, and may even be available for the team this weekend. With only a one-point lead on the Washington Capitals for third place in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers could use all the help they can get to capture their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 season.

Even with Ristolainen unlikely to return, and assuming Philadelphia qualifies for the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs, they should still be able to muster solid depth with their defensive core. Cam York, Yegor Zamula, and Seeler have all taken notable steps forward this season, and the team did bring in Erik Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres at the deadline.

Other Metro notes:

  •  Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexander Nylander will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. Although it does not sound like the injury is serious, it will blunt the momentum that Nylander has accrued in his first handful of games with the Blue Jackets. Since coming to Columbus, Nylander has played in a total of 15 games, scoring eight goals and 11 points in total.
  • In a separate update from Rorabaugh, it does not appear that Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Nieto will be back with the team this season, as he’s experienced several hurdles in his recovery process. Initially, it was believed that Nieto would be out between six and eight weeks recovering from knee surgery, but has surpassed that measure.

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