All Eyes on Kyle Dubas After Penguins' Sudden Roster Move

Since the March 7 trade deadline, the Penguins have made abundant use of emergency recalls to complement practice sessions and provide insurance in case of game-day injuries.

No one has been a part of more roster transactions than Matthew Nieto. Since March 11, he's been a participant in more than 10 transactions, albeit ones where he hasn't actually always left Pittsburgh.

These were "paper" transactions, undertaken solely for cap relief and control of the roster. Nieto spent a short stint with the NHL club earlier in March before he was sent back to the minors, despite never having left the city.

The last 16 months have been difficult for Nieto. In the final year of his two-year deal, he's trying to reclaim himself from a succession of knee procedures that sat him out for nearly a year.

He appeared in 31 games before hitting the road to the AHL after coming back in November. He played with a deep Wilkes-Barre/Scranton roster bound for the playoffs, one that didn't necessarily need his help.

The AHL veteran limit of six per game also hindered putting him into the lineup.

On Tuesday, the Penguins again used an emergency recall to bring Nieto to Pittsburgh. It's created speculation among fans about whether Kyle Dubas has something on his mind.

Nieto does not look like he's going to figure into the Penguins' future plans. He's currently little more than an extra skater and isn't being given much of a chance to demonstrate to other NHL teams that he still belongs.

We'll see if that changes this time around.