Penguins’ Matt Nieto out 6-8 weeks following knee surgery

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Jan. 4 that forward Matt Nieto underwent successful laparoscopic surgery on his right knee.

The surgery was performed by head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas at the UPMC St. Margaret Harmar Outpatient Center. Nieto will be out for the next six to eight weeks due to recovery.

The 31-year-old has four points in 22 games this season, he last suited up on Nov. 30 in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning where he logged one assist.

On July 1, the Long Beach, California product signed a two-year deal worth $1.8 million. According to CapFriendly, the contract has an average annual value of $900,000.

Nieto spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche where he registered nine points in 36 games and added zero points in seven playoff games as the 2022 Stanley Cup champions were eliminated by the Seattle Kraken in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Nieto was acquired by the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. While with the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, he collected eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in 45 games.

Nieto had previously played for the Avs earlier in his career before re-joining the Sharks in 2020-21, bouncing back and forth between the two clubs. Nieto was selected No. 47 overall by the Sharks in the 2011 NHL Draft. He played three seasons with Boston University of the NCAA, and in his final season, he notched 37 points in 39 games.

During the Sharks’ miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015-16, Nieto collected three points in 16 playoff games. He was moved to the Avs for the first time in his career in 2016-17 and spent three and a half seasons in Denver before heading back to California and re-joining the Sharks before finding a new home in the Steel City

Throughout his career, he has appeared in 673 NHL games over parts of eight seasons collecting 86 goals and 117 assists for 203 points in that frame.