Veteran winger has struggled since multiple knee surgeries
The NHL keeps a 23-player maximum roster in place through the trade deadline. Usually the Penguins run out of cap space before players, but this year they have too many players. As such, Matt Nieto has gone on waivers according to reports.
Nieto (PIT) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 26, 2025
Pittsburgh has utilized rotating Bryan Rust and Boko Imama on and off the injured reserve to stay under the 23-play limit but these days everyone is healthy. Something had to give, and it ended up being the veteran Nieto.
Nieto, 32, has played in 31 games for the Pens this season scoring just one goal and adding two assists. The forward has been limited in the speed and energy style after having surgeries on both knees last year. Rehabbing those issues kept him on the shelf until mid-November. Since then he has been in and out of the Pens’ lineup in mostly a fourth line and penalty killing role.
Nieto is in the final season of a two-year contract with the Penguins. If he is announced as unclaimed tomorrow, the team would be able to assign him to Wilkes-Barre of the American Hockey League, and at that point there would be space to activate Imama, who has been skating with the team while working back from an undisclosed injury.