CRANBERRY, Pa. -- One of the first signings Kyle Dubas made this summer was a move to bolster the bottom six in winger Matt Nieto.
Nieto, 30, signed a two-year deal with the Penguins on July 1 that carries an average annual value of $900,000. He spent the entirety of his 10-year career with the Sharks and Avalanche. He was in San Jose for the last three seasons before a trade-deadline deal sent him back to Colorado to finish the season.
When the Avalanche didn't re-sign Nieto and the Penguins came calling at the start of free agency, Nieto was intrigued.
"When I heard they had interest, I knew it was a place that would be a good fit for me," he told me after Day 2 of Penguins training camp on Friday at the Lemieux Complex. "I think they play a good style here, it's a fast-paced game. They're looking to rebound after last season, and I think they have the core to where we can do that. Kyle added some good pieces in the summer and in this room we feel we can compete for a Stanley Cup."
One of those pieces was Nieto's former teammate in San Jose in Erik Karlsson, who Nieto said he got to know well in his previous stop. Nieto described Karlsson as a "character guy" who could "put us over the top" in that work toward a Stanley Cup.
Dubas long had interest in Nieto, and had tried acquiring him several times while managing the Maple Leafs. The pace with which Nieto plays was appealing to him, as well as his two-way game and ability to contribute offensively. Nieto had 12 goals and 12 assists in 81 games last season between Colorado and San Jose.
"He brings great speed, defensively responsible, able to kill penalties, able to chip in as well," Dubas said on July 1 of adding Nieto. "It's trying to find the right fits for the coaching staff and what they want and what we all believe in, which is that they’re competitive, they've got good speed, they're defensively reliable and have defensive utility and they're able to chip in and think the game offensively and give us a little bit of offensive push in the bottom six.”
The word Nieto used to describe his own game was "tenacious," saying that he's "always chasing down the puck."
The first thing Mike Sullivan pointed out about Nieto was his energy.
"He's one of those guys that's going to bring us a lot of energy," Sullivan said. "He can really skate. You know, he's going to be a real good puck pursuit guy that can help us establish the game that we're trying to play. He can get in on the forecheck. He can disrupt breakouts and put defenseman under pressure and hopefully force some turnovers for his linemates. That's what he's very capable of."
All of those attributes make Nieto a pretty good fit in the bottom six. Throughout the first two days of training camp and even during the informal skates prior to camp he's been skating on a line opposite Jeff Carter, centered by Noel Acciari. That could very well turn out to be the Penguins' third or fourth line this season.
"They're both guys that have been around for a while," Nieto said of his linemates. "I think we've had a good first few days of camp here, and I feel like all three of us know what's expected of us. We know how we have to play to be successful. We've been around long enough to know that, and I think it's a good mix. We've got some speed, some grit, and I think we complement each other."
There's also a chance that Nieto could find himself promoted to a top-six role for the first few games of the season. Jake Guentzel is expected to miss about five games to start, and with that not being long enough to make Guentzel eligible for long-term injured reserve, his replacement will come in-house from someone already on the roster. If the Penguins want to promote somebody to the top-six that would lead to minimal shuffling otherwise, Nieto would be a logical choice. He's left-handed and a natural left wing, so he could slide right into Guentzel's spot alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line, or next to Evgeni Malkin on the second line while Reilly Smith plays next to Crosby.
Nieto has filled that sort of role before, as recently as last season. Injuries in San Jose created an opening on Logan Couture's wing, and Nieto stepped up. He spent an extended period of time on Couture's wing -- just over 313 minutes total at five-on-five. When they were on the ice together the Sharks recorded 16 goals to the opponents' 24, and they generated 47.97% of the expected goals.
"I think I have the ability to complement top-six guys when needed," Nieto told me. "If there's any injuries, I feel like I'm versatile enough to move up and down the lineup too."
Nieto said that there haven't been any discussions just yet with the coaching staff on whether he will be in the top six to start the season. When I asked Sullivan after practice, he agreed that Nieto is capable of playing there if needed. But Nieto is one of several forwards with that ability.
"Do I think Matt has the ability to move up in the top six? Sure I do," Sullivan told me. "I think we've got a number of guys that are capable of that with this particular group that we've assembled here for training camp. The possibilities of that get the coaching staff excited. It's always been an important aspect of our team game, having the versatility in the roster to be able to move people around, whether it's through necessity because of injuries or in-game adjustments because we're not playing the game very well on that given night for whatever reason. We're trying to be proactive as a staff to create a spark to our group to have the ability to move players around, whether it be positionally from wing to center, or having the ability to move guys up and down the roster."
Whether Nieto does or doesn't play next to Crosby or Malkin to start the season, his long-term spot will be somewhere on the wing in the bottom six. The Penguins' bottom six was a weak spot last season, especially the third line for most of the season. With the tenacity, speed and ability to chip in offensively that Nieto brings, he looks like he could already be an improvement over many of the pieces that played there last season.
