This Season
Matt Nieto found himself as a bit of a Swiss Army knife for the Avs’ middle six this season. At five on five, he was usually on the do-it-all line alongside Soderberg and Calvert, but he found a home as one of Colorado’s best penalty killers.
Points-wise Nieto was on pace with his previous season as he scored 23 points (4g, 19a) in 64 games. A lower-body injury that held him out for the second half of February and the majority of March kept him from approaching the 30-point barrier. Despite the production, the significant drop in goal scoring is still apparent and with a shooting percentage of just 4.7% (more than 4% below his career average), it stands out as somewhat of an anomaly.
Nieto averaged 13:46 of TOI this year – down over a full minute from 2017-18 – placing him as the Avs ninth-ranked forward in the category. Of that time, just shy of 20% came on the penalty kill where he saw a significant bump in ice time from previous seasons. Tied for the team lead in shorthanded points with three, Nieto also boasts the best PK goal differential of the Avs regular penalty killers at just -11.
Where Nieto truly stood out this year was the playoffs. He equaled his goal total from the regular season in just 12 games including two shorthanded goals and tacked on three assists for seven points, good for the sixth-most on the team.
Next Season
Expect Nieto’s role to continue being reduced as the wing additions of Burakovsky and Donskoi as well as the return of Colin Wilson will likely push him down into a fourth line role. A fourth line of Nieto, Bellemare, and Calvert would be quite stout defensively and with Nieto’s effectiveness on the penalty kill, that should be more than enough to keep him in the lineup night in and night out.
Nieto will be asked to bring consistency to the fourth line on both sides of the puck. While Nieto’s spot is relatively secure, with players like Greer and Kaut in the system an extended spell of poor play could potentially put his spot on the chopping block.
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