Penguins activate forward Matt Nieto from long-term injured reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins activated forward Matt Nieto from long-term injured reserve on Friday and placed forward Blake Lizotte on regular injured reserve.
Nieto has not played and NHL contest since Nov. 30, 2023 due to various knee injuries that have required surgery.
During a recent conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, Nieto appeared in two games and scored one goal before being recalled to the NHL club on Thursday.
Before being injured, Nieto appeared in 22 games last season and scored four points (one goal, three assists) while averaging 11:37 of ice time per contest.
A left-handed shot, the 32-year-old Nieto is in the second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $900,000.
According to Puckpedia, the Penguins now have $1,060,521 of salary cap space with Nieto rejoining the active roster.
Per audio provided by the team’s media relations staff, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters in Columbus, Ohio that Lizotte was diagnosed with a concussion.
Lizotte was struck in the face with a puck during a 3-2 home overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
He previously suffered a concussion during the preseason when a puck hit his face during a preseason contest on Sept. 29 and missed the first 11 games of the regular season.
The left-handed Lizotte has appeared in seven games this season and has scored two goals while clocking 9:04 of ice time per contest.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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