Veteran free agent centre Matt Cullen has signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The deal is worth $650,000. Cullen signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild last summer after winning two straight Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Matt Cullen is returning to Pittsburgh. 1 year.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2018
Veteran Centre Matt Cullen Opts to Sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Matt Cullen is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion and veteran player with leadership qualities. The 41-year-old has played a long career in the NHL, totalling 20 seasons. Last season, he scored 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 79 games played. He also added 20 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were way down at just 40.5 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -8.5. Cullen also put up one goal and one assist in the Wild’s five-game first-round playoff loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
The offensive totals were down compared to the 2016-17 season, where he scored 13 goals, 18 assists for 31 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Over his 20-year NHL career, Cullen has played for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild. He has put up 259 goals and 452 assists for 711 career points in 1445 career games. He was originally drafted in the second round, 35th overall of the 1996 NHL draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
What This Means for the Future
Matt Cullen has had an amazing career spanning three decades, earning three Stanley Cups. At 41 years old, he is no spring chicken and he has nothing left to prove, but a lot to offer the Penguins. As a fourth line centre, he can give veteran leadership to a young team that can learn so much from him. This could be his last hoorah and one more push to put his name on the Stanley Cup one last time before he retires and closes the book on his long and amazing career.
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