Matt Nieto happy to be back with Avalanche, will be a 'trusted player' in stretch run

Jan. 27—Less than 24 hours after Matt Nieto learned he was being traded back to the Avalanche, he was in the Avs' lineup against the Ducks.

Nieto was in Raleigh ahead of the Sharks' game against the Hurricanes Friday and with the trade deadline approaching next month. Throw in the fact Nieto is in the final year of his contract and on a San Jose team nowhere near a playoff berth this season, he knew he might be packing his bags for a new city at any minute.

"There's always a possibility, right? I think it happened sooner than I thought it would, so I was definitely surprised when I got the call, but I'd rather be here sooner than later, get acclimated and start playing with these guys right away," he said.

"It's been crazy but exciting. I'm really happy to be back here."

Nieto's flight didn't arrive in Denver prior to morning skate before Thursday's game, but he met with the coaches right away and was on the ice a few hours later and in the starting lineup.

His familiarity with Jared Bednar and the rest of his coaching staff certainly helped.

"[Nieto] was one of the guys I liked tonight," Bednar said after the 5-3 loss to Anaheim. "He's a trusted player. He's always going to do the right thing. He's hard on pucks, he's a veteran guy. He's always kinda shown that [if] you give him a checking role, he can step into that. You know where he's going to be at all times because he's dialed in with your structure even after missing a bunch of time with us."

Nieto played much of the game alongside J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen, two players who were here throughout his previous tenure with the organization from 2017-20.

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"It definitely helps," Nieto said. "You have some familiar faces that I played with before, all the staff is pretty much the same so there's definitely a level of comfort coming back here."

The addition of Nieto was also an easy sell in the locker room.

"He's a good veteran presence," Logan O'Connor told The Denver Gazette. "He understands the system so hopefully it's a pretty fluid transition for him. I know around the locker room guys really respect him as a person. To have another veteran leader in the group and a 'lead by example' guy is critical for us."

Another familiar face in the Avs locker room is Andrew Cogliano, who Nieto played with on the Sharks before Cogliano was dealt to Colorado.

"I loved playing with [Cogliano] back in San Jose," Nieto said. "He's a winner and that's why they brought him in here last year. Just a true pro and he does so many little things that go underappreciated on a team. To be back reunited is really cool."

But while Cogliano got to experience winning a Stanley Cup here last season, Nieto had to watch from home as a lot of his former teammates and close friends won it all.

Nieto has played in over 50 playoff games in his career and has come as close as you can to raising the Cup, losing to the Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup final with the Sharks.

Now back in Colorado, he wants to help deliver a second-straight title.

"I'm really excited to experience that," Nieto said. "It was an awesome run to watch. [I] obviously stayed in touch with a lot of guys that were on that team and are still on the team. I was definitely cheering them on and couldn't be happier for those guys. All those guys want to repeat that. It's something I'm happy to be here for."

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