The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Matt Nieto to their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the club announced Friday.
Nieto was recalled by the Penguins on an emergency basis on March 11 but didn’t appear in any games for Pittsburgh during his latest stint with the NHL club.
The 2024-25 campaign has been anything but ideal for Nieto, who has been trying to battle back from the knee surgeries he had in January 2024. He has played in 31 NHL games this season with Pittsburgh, tallying one goal and one assist. He is in the final season of the two-year, $1.8 million contract. The veteran left wing has 87 goals and 119 assists across 704 games with the Penguins, Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Nieto has one goal and two assists in eight games.
The move came ahead of Pittsburgh’s tilt with the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins are 3-1-0 during the five-game homestand. The Pens will head out for a three-game road trip beginning Sunday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
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Featured image via Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images