nossagog Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Cullen signs a one year contract with the Wild. Kind of surprises me, I thought if he did one more year, he would come back to Pens. Maybe the Pens did not offer him anything. http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/20361241/former-penguin-matt-cullen-going-minnesota-wild-20th-season http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/12628386-74/matt-cullen-picks-minnesota-over-penguins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Nice to see Cullen return to the State of Hockey where he spent 3 years previously from 2010-2013. From what I understand, Cullen didn't want to leave the Wild, but at the time Minnesota was only keep either him or Kyle Brodziak, and they opted for Brodz..... not a BIG mistake, but a mistake by the Wild nonetheless as I think Cullen was the better overall more useful player. At any rate, he had some pretty good seasons with Minnesota before having near 40 pt seasons when he played 70+ games and he always gelled really well with whomever they put him with. Granted, the Wild of today are a bit different than the more defensive oriented Wild he played on back then, but still, Cullen knows all about dynamic offenses playing with Pittsburgh, and his role on the team will likely be the same: steady bottom six presence with smarts and a knack for the faceoff wins. Cullen is a native Minnesotan, so if this season, at age 40, is indeed his last one, he will spend it closer to home. Also, the Wild are still looking for that elusive championship and are in "win now" mode, so it will be an opportunity for Cullen to help yet another team seek out Lord Stanley, having a hand in doing that for both the Hurricanes and Penguins previously. Welcome back Matt Cullen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Here is an article from twincities.com Signing with the Wild was, indeed, a family decision......though I am sure raising another Cup with a THIRD team would be a pretty sweet way for him to go out... http://www.twincities.com/2017/08/16/matt-cullen-decides-against-retirement-signs-one-year-contract-with-wild/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 My guess is Cullen was mainly signed to mentor Luke Kunin and provide some bench depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B21 Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 15 hours ago, nossagog said: Cullen signs a one year contract with the Wild. Kind of surprises me, I thought if he did one more year, he would come back to Pens. Maybe the Pens did not offer him anything. http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/20361241/former-penguin-matt-cullen-going-minnesota-wild-20th-season http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/12628386-74/matt-cullen-picks-minnesota-over-penguins Good for him. Play one more year. Close to home. He gets the best of both worlds...playing professional hockey and being near his family. Buona salute! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild.source Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 On 8/16/2017 at 5:46 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: Nice to see Cullen return to the State of Hockey where he spent 3 years previously from 2010-2013. From what I understand, Cullen didn't want to leave the Wild, but at the time Minnesota was only keep either him or Kyle Brodziak, and they opted for Brodz..... not a BIG mistake, but a mistake by the Wild nonetheless as I think Cullen was the better overall more useful player. At any rate, he had some pretty good seasons with Minnesota before having near 40 pt seasons when he played 70+ games and he always gelled really well with whomever they put him with. Granted, the Wild of today are a bit different than the more defensive oriented Wild he played on back then, but still, Cullen knows all about dynamic offenses playing with Pittsburgh, and his role on the team will likely be the same: steady bottom six presence with smarts and a knack for the faceoff wins. Cullen is a native Minnesotan, so if this season, at age 40, is indeed his last one, he will spend it closer to home. Also, the Wild are still looking for that elusive championship and are in "win now" mode, so it will be an opportunity for Cullen to help yet another team seek out Lord Stanley, having a hand in doing that for both the Hurricanes and Penguins previously. Welcome back Matt Cullen! I think that Cullen will be a good player for the Wild......He does have two cups worth of experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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