The San Jose Sharks placed forward Matt Nieto on waivers this morning, possibly ending the Long Beach Native’s career with the Bay Area franchise. If he is not claimed, he’ll report to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate.
If Nieto clears waivers, and my guess is he will, his entire cap hit will come off the books. While I think he has played well with the Sharks, it’s clear the team wants more scoring from the winger. He broke out with San Jose in his rookie season by scoring 10 goals and did it again in his sophomore campaign.
This is his first season where he’s truly dropped off in the goal scoring department but it’s possible the Sharks want to see him take a step forward from that first season and not remain stagnant.