The Avalanche on Thursday claimed forward Matt Nieto, 24, on waivers from the San Jose Sharks.

Colorado also announced that goalie Jeremy Smith, who was Calvin Pickard's backup for five games, has been reassigned to San Antonio, an indication that Semyon Varlamov will suit up Friday when the Avalanche play the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center.

Varlamov, who has been sidelined because of a groin injury, last played Dec. 22 against Toronto when he was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 18 shots in a 6-0 loss.

Nieto, a 5-feet-11, 190-pound left wing, had two assists in 16 games with the Sharks this season. He was a healthy scratch for 13 of the past 16 games. He has 28 goals and 42 assists in 221 games with San Jose over parts of four seasons, with three goals and five assists in 23 playoff games.

“He put in a lot of good work for us last year, helped us get to (the Stanley Cup Final)," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. "This year, it’s not what he didn’t do, it’s a testament to the depth here. We’ve got young guys that have progressed faster than maybe we anticipated and have come in and basically taken jobs.”

Nieto, who is from Long Beach, Calif., was the Sharks' second-round pick (No. 47) in the 2011 NHL draft. He played three years at Boston University after a two-season stay with the U.S. National Under-18 team.

Nieto had career highs for goals (10), assists (17) and points (27) in 72 games in 2014-15. He had 8-9-17 in 67 games last year, with 1-2-3 in 16 playoff games.

According to spotrac.com, Nieto is on a one-year, one-way, $735,000 contract and will be a restricted free agent July 1.

*****

The Avalanche didn't practice Thursday after their 4-1 loss Wednesday in Calgary. They've lost five games in a row and 10 of their past 11. They'll take a 10-game home losing streak (0-9-1) into Friday's game against the Islanders.

The Avalanche will begin their five-day "bye week" Saturday and play again next Thursday against Anaheim. They won't be able to practice until 4 p.m. MT on Wednesday.

Every team will have a five-day "bye week" between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28.



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