Penguins Happy to Have Matt Nieto On Board

Kyle Dubas was particularly thrilled when the Penguins signed Matt Nieto to a two-year contract after free agency opened. Because as Pittsburgh's President of Hockey Operations and General Manager told both the forward and the media, Nieto is a player the Leafs always tried to acquire during Dubas' time in Toronto, but could never get a deal across the line.

"That's always nice hearing that you're wanted," Nieto said. "I just thought it was a great opportunity. I think Kyle's come in and added some players and is really making some moves that give us the best chance possible of being a successful team. As a player, that's all you can really ask for."

The biggest move of all came when Dubas orchestrated a three-team trade to acquire superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Sharks earlier this month, reuniting him with Nieto, as they played parts of three seasons together in San Jose.

"His game speaks for itself," Nieto said. "He's an amazing skater, a defenseman that's really hard to forecheck because of his skating ability and his puck-moving ability. It just seems whenever he's on the ice, good things are happening and a lot of offense is being created. So, very dangerous player."

Off the ice, the two became close friends, with Karlsson calling Nieto "a great guy, and someone I hung out with quite a bit on the road for dinners and stuff." Nieto thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Karlsson, saying, "he's just a really fun guy to be around. Loves going to work every day and working hard, but off the ice, he's a jokester and makes me laugh. He's got some good energy."

So does Nieto, who's good-natured and laughs easily. And now that he's 30 years old and entering his 11th season in the league (the previous 10 were back-and-forth between San Jose and Colorado), Nieto feels like he can bring a good veteran presence to the Penguins locker room.

"I've been on some good teams and some not-so-good teams. So, I just feel like I know what it takes for teams to be successful, and players to be successful as well," he said.

And for Nieto himself, success looks like playing a two-way game, focusing on being defensively reliable - which is what he's known for - while also trying to contribute offensively. He certainly adds to Pittsburgh's depth, as the Penguins originally brought him in as part of the bottom-six overhaul, with the goal being to find the right fits for Head Coach Mike Sullivan and his staff.

"What they want and what we all believe in 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," Dubas explained.

That being said, with Jake Guentzel out to start the year, there is an opening in the top six - and Dubas listed Nieto as one of the players who can compete for that spot. It's another sentiment that's great for Nieto to hear.

"I think throughout my career, whenever injuries arise, I'm kind of one of those players that can go up and down the lineup and complement top players in the top six," he said. "Or when I'm playing in the bottom six, just being a good guy to play with down there as well. So, I think I bring a lot of a lot of versatility in that way."

Regardless of whether Nieto gets a chance to play alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, he's excited about being teammates with them, as the leadership in Pittsburgh is another big reason why he signed here.

"I look at the core leaders of the team, and they're all guys that I grew up watching and have looked up to and have played against over the years, and I just think they're all great players," Nieto said. "You know, you look at those guys and then the mix that Kyle has added as well, and I just think it's a good mix of kind of some older veterans and some younger skills. So, I think it's a good mix.

"It's something that I'm really looking forward to the season, because I think our team on paper is a really good team. I'm excited to get to work with all the guys."