Matt Nieto

Matt Nieto

31-Year-Old Left WingLW
Pittsburgh Penguins
IR-LT
Injury Knee
Est. Return 11/19/2024
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Matt Nieto in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Penguins in July of 2023.
Cleared for contact
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
November 4, 2024
Nieto (knee) was a full-contact participant at practice Monday, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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.
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2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
10:52
0:02
1:13
2022–23
15:39
0:38
2:13
2023–24
11:37
0:03
2:26
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2020
2019
2018
2015
2014
2011
For the first time in his career, Nieto will play for a team other than the Avalanche or the Sharks after signing a two-year deal with the Penguins this summer. He produced 24 points in 81 contests a year ago, his best scoring output since 2019-20. He enjoyed a productive role in the Sharks' middle six, but his time in Pittsburgh will likely be similar to what he saw in Colorado. That means limited minutes as a defensive winger in a fourth-line role. Considering he's never had more than 27 points in a season, there's no reason for Nieto to be considered in the vast majority of fantasy formats.
Nieto returns for a second stint with the Sharks after he exceeded 20 points for the third straight campaign with the Avalanche last year. The 28-year-old Nieto has five 20-point campaigns to his name, but he's never reached 30 before -- while consistent, it's unlikely the California native will produce enough offense to interest most fantasy managers. He's most likely to feature on the Sharks' fourth line, although he does get some time on the penalty kill and could be worth a look in deep formats that count shorthanded points.
A decent north-to-south burner with a scoring touch, Nieto's compiled 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) over 181 games since the Avalanche managed to pluck him off waivers in January 2017. He's generally hit-or-miss in the attacking zone, but the 26-year-old winger assumes key penalty-killing responsibilities, and barring a rash of injuries, Nieto will be hard-pressed to move into the top six at any point this season. The Avalanche gave up two early-round 2020 draft picks to pull Andre Burakovsky from the Capitals, and he's a prime candidate to push Nieto down to the fourth line.
With the Avalanche sending a more competent squad to the rink on a nightly basis in 2017-18, Nieto predictably posted a much better campaign than his 13-point season split between Colorado and San Jose in 2016-17. All told, he compiled a career-high 15 goals on a 17.9 shooting percentage. A plus-6 rating bodes well, but it will be difficult to repeat that conversion rate of shots into goals, and Nieto has never topped 27 points in a season, making it quite possible that he's nearly reached his cap in yearly points.
Nieto didn't show much growth in his second NHL season despite seeing a modest rise in ice time, as he generally came pretty close to replicating the prior campaign's numbers, but with six more games. A slightly undersized winger who doesn't play a particularly tough game, Nieto profiles best as a third-liner at this point, but his current role remains up in the air -- it could be anywhere from borderline top-six guy to depth forward. It's questionable what Nieto would be able to do even if he did earn top-six minutes, though he won't turn 23 until a month into the season, so he still has room for further development.
Nieto had a solid rookie campaign, delivering 10 goals and 14 assists through 66 games last season. With the team refocusing on the youth on the roster, Nieto will be given a solid shot at an increased role and a top-six position. Nieto's upside isn't as big as Hertl's, but he has proven he has the ability to produce if he finds a consistent home in the team's top six. Watch him in camp and be prepared to scoop him up late.
Nieto is one of the newest prospects for the Sharks, as he was taken with the 47th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. At 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, Nieto is a bit on the smaller side, but his skating proficiency more than makes up for it. Most recently, Nieto played for Boston University, where he tallied 23 points (10 G, 13 A) in 39 games as a freshman in 2010-11.
More Fantasy News
Considered month-to-month
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
September 18, 2024
Nieto (knee) is considered to be month-to-month, per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Has knee surgery
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
May 15, 2024
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.
ANALYSIS
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Suffers secondary injury
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
April 19, 2024
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.
ANALYSIS
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Ends season on shelf
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
April 18, 2024
Nieto (knee) drew into only 22 games in an injury-riddled campaign in 2023-24.
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Out 6-to-8 weeks after surgery
LWPittsburgh Penguins
Knee
January 4, 2024
The Penguins announced that Nieto underwent successful laparoscopic surgery Thursday on his right knee and is expected to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Set to sign with Oilers
LWFree Agent
July 1, 2023
Nieto is set to finalize a two-year deal with the Oilers on Saturday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.
ANALYSIS
Nieto has split his time between the Sharks and the Avalanche throughout his 10-year NHL career. The 30-year-old winger should be capable of producing in the 20-25 point range for Edmonton despite likely filling a bottom-six role.
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