Confirmed with Link: Penguins Agree To Terms With Matt Cullen (1 year | $800k)

[theicebox]

I miss Craig.

 

[OnMyOwn]

He'll add some leadership and has speed. I don't like bringing in old guys, but if we were going to he's about as quality a bottom 6 old guy as you can get.

Our forward depth is nuts.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

If we were going to sign anybody else, this is exactly the kind of guy that makes sense. I mean, a bit old obviously. But a good skating 4th line center who is great at faceoffs. That's something we can use for sure.

Definitely. Kind of weird how little he was mentioned here as an option. Not quite sure how he slipped through the board's radar, to be honest.

Many were looking at options like Slater because he brought some of the same things, but Cullen's a lot more productive. Bunch of filthy age-ists.

 

[eXile59]

There is little to no correlation between possession and faceoffs.

https://mobile.twitter.com/gunnerstaal/status/627282983930753025

Apologies for the direct link, don't know how to post pictures from mobile.

True but you want to be able win big face offs. It's more about quality over quantity.

 

[mikethelegacy]

True but you want to be able win big face offs. It's more about quality over quantity.

Yeah, faceoffs may not be super important for possession in the fantasy world of Fenwick/Corsi, but in reality they are insanely important. This is one of those things that we just aren't able to really put into advanced metrics. Every single angle and untangible can't be measured a Fenwick chart.

 

[acrat11]

Yeah, faceoffs may not be super important for possession in the fantasy world of Fenwick/Corsi, but in reality they are insanely important. This is one of those things that we just aren't able to really put into advanced metrics. Every single angle and untangible can't be measured a Fenwick chart.

I agree I was just responding to the poster that said that because he was good at faceoffs it would help possession.

 

[Pens1566]

Cheap, productive, can still skate, good faceoff guy, decent locker room guy by all reports, can play several spots, isn't named Adams.

How is this anything less than stellar?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

He'll add some leadership and has speed. I don't like bringing in old guys, but if we were going to he's about as quality a bottom 6 old guy as you can get.

Our forward depth is nuts.

It is really amazing how by far the two biggest weaknesses of the team when Shero left, elite (or even passable) wings for the top two lines and depth past the top six has become among the best in the league for both.

Yeah yeah, it sux that we made the Despres trade. But overall?

Granted we do not have the amount of experienced defensive depth that we had even last year, but we still have a lot of talent there.

All in all this is the most playoff ready team that we have had in years.

You have to give JR props for the job he has done.

 

[Freeptop]

There is little to no correlation between possession and faceoffs.

https://mobile.twitter.com/gunnerstaal/status/627282983930753025

Apologies for the direct link, don't know how to post pictures from mobile.

Context is always important, though. That chart only looks at 5v5. If you want to evaluate Cullen as an acquisition, you need to look at more than just 5v5. I'd be very curious to see how faceoff percentage tracks vs penalty killing rate, for instance.

Most of the analysis done on faceoffs have shown that it really only impacts the first few seconds immediately after the faceoff. In 5v5 play, that generally translates to maybe one more shot attempt at best. In a penalty kill, though, that can mean the difference between giving up a scoring chance and clearing the puck out of the zone, due to the fact that penalty killers are allowed to ice the puck.

Most of the analytical work has focused on 5v5, since the majority of the game is played that way, but it tends to ignore the fact that special teams are still an important aspect of the game. That's not to say that analytics can't help there, just that most of the people doing public hockey analytics haven't really applied the math to those portions of the game.

This is why I'm not that big of a fan of Ryan Wilson. He tends to treat the analytics as all-knowing, and frequently doesn't bother looking at the full context. For instance: "If faceoff percentage is ever one of your talking points about a player/evaluating a trade, you're doing it wrong." Well, no. Faceoffs do have an impact on the game. If that's the sole thing a player brings to the table, then it's not enough. But combine strong faceoff skill with good puck possession skills, and you're at an advantage over someone who only has good puck possession skills.

Hockey isn't a one-on-one sport. Statistics can be very helpful, but they always should have their context examined rather than simply accepted as a raw number.

 

[acrat11]

Context is always important, though. That chart only looks at 5v5. If you want to evaluate Cullen as an acquisition, you need to look at more than just 5v5. I'd be very curious to see how faceoff percentage tracks vs penalty killing rate, for instance.

Most of the analysis done on faceoffs have shown that it really only impacts the first few seconds immediately after the faceoff. In 5v5 play, that generally translates to maybe one more shot attempt at best. In a penalty kill, though, that can mean the difference between giving up a scoring chance and clearing the puck out of the zone, due to the fact that penalty killers are allowed to ice the puck.

Most of the analytical work has focused on 5v5, since the majority of the game is played that way, but it tends to ignore the fact that special teams are still an important aspect of the game. That's not to say that analytics can't help there, just that most of the people doing public hockey analytics haven't really applied the math to those portions of the game.

This is why I'm not that big of a fan of Ryan Wilson. He tends to treat the analytics as all-knowing, and frequently doesn't bother looking at the full context. For instance: "If faceoff percentage is ever one of your talking points about a player/evaluating a trade, you're doing it wrong." Well, no. Faceoffs do have an impact on the game. If that's the sole thing a player brings to the table, then it's not enough. But combine strong faceoff skill with good puck possession skills, and you're at an advantage over someone who only has good puck possession skills.

Hockey isn't a one-on-one sport. Statistics can be very helpful, but they always should have their context examined rather than simply accepted as a raw number.

I agree it bothers me as well. He treats stats as all knowing rather than putting them in context. I try to use advanced stats to either confirm my opinion or make me take pause and reevaluate. I just thought it was interesting and worth posting because my initial thought would have been that there is a correlation between faceoffs and possession.

One interesting thing I saw on Twitter yesterday is that Cullen had pretty favorable zone starts last year as compared to most bottom 6 players. Will be interesting to see if he is still productive if we give him tougher assignments than he has had.

 

[Asuna]

I agree it bothers me as well. He treats stats as all knowing rather than putting them in context. I try to use advanced stats to either confirm my opinion or make me take pause and reevaluate. I just thought it was interesting and worth posting because my initial thought would have been that there is a correlation between faceoffs and possession.

One interesting thing I saw on Twitter yesterday is that Cullen had pretty favorable zone starts last year as compared to most bottom 6 players. Will be interesting to see if he is still productive if we give him tougher assignments than he has had.

Over his career, he's been a positive driver of possession, regardless of zone starts. So I think he'll be fine....as long as they don't overplay him.

 

[MtlPenFan]

Cheap, productive, can still skate, good faceoff guy, decent locker room guy by all reports, can play several spots, isn't named Adams.

How is this anything less than stellar?

Agreed. This isn't getting a veteran for the sake of it. It's about getting a good hockey player on the cheap.

 

[DesertPenguin]

At this point you have to assume the F reshuffling is done, with enough depth to allow GMJR to move Kunitz if he needs to for a 3/4D. That would be the ideal final move to assemble this team.

 

[jmelm]

Hope he doesn't push Sundqvist out of the line-up.

Enjoy the AHL, Sundqvist.

Sundqvist should be pushed out of the line up for 1 season. He is FAR better off playing top-6 minutes in the AHL in a scoring role, playing big minutes on both the PP and PK and in all situations. If he's going to develop into a guy who can play big minutes and contribute offense in the NHL in the future, it's really important to help him cultivate all aspects of his game. I don't think he'll need more than 1 season, but that 1 season will help him (and ultimately us) immensely.

I'd say it would push Rust/Wilson out.

Again, similar situation. Rust? Perhaps, because I don't think he'll be a big offensive contributor, and he's even more defensively polished. Wilson has much better pure offensive upside, and again, he should be playing top-line minutes and getting a lot of PP time, which is not going to happen in the NHL. Again, I think he'll be ready to make the jump full time in 1 year; and all 3 of these players will be ready and able to come up to the NHL in case of injury.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Good deal for an aging but still effective player. Should play situational and generally sheltered minutes. I don't put nearly as much stock into the OMGSOIMPORTANT!! 4-5% negative to positive swing in faceoff percentage as everyone else seems to but that's a nice bonus, too.

An out-of-nowhere and somewhat odd deal. But I look at it as simply bringing in a quality player on the cheap to add more versatility and skill to the lineup. Which the bottom six (much less the fourth line) hasn't seen in what seems like decades.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Love this depth move, personally. I felt we needed to get rid of a forward BEFORE this deal, now it's an absolute reality.

Another good thing with Cullen is that he can play both center and left wing, adding yet another versatile option up front.

Now let's move out Kunitz and Lovejoy for the best offer you can get and call it an off-season.

 

[mpp9]

Definitely. Kind of weird how little he was mentioned here as an option. Not quite sure how he slipped through the board's radar, to be honest.

Many were looking at options like Slater because he brought some of the same things, but Cullen's a lot more productive. Bunch of filthy age-ists.

I brought him up before we signed Fehr and traded for Bonino. Pretty awesome we added all three for a little more than what Sutter makes next year.

No need to thank me.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

This season we'll be spending $4.7 million of cap space on Eric Fehr, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen.

Nikolay Kulemin's salary-cap hit is $4,187.500.

That's some interesting perspective.

 

[vid387]

There's no reason we need to get rid of a forward, now or even before Cullen.

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Plotnikov-Malkin-Kessel
Kunitz-Fehr-Dupuis
Cullen-Bonino-Bennett

That leaves the 13th forward spot and Fehr's replacement open for the beginning of the season. And, of course, injuries.

Why does anyone think a move is necessary? Are we uncomfortable having actual NHL players at all forward positions?

 

[Asuna]

Are we uncomfortable having actual NHL players at all forward positions?

It's been so long....I just don't know how to react to it.

 

[Shady Machine]

There's no reason we need to get rid of a forward, now or even before Cullen.

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Plotnikov-Malkin-Kessel
Kunitz-Fehr-Dupuis
Cullen-Bonino-Bennett

That leaves the 13th forward spot and Fehr's replacement open for the beginning of the season. And, of course, injuries.

Why does anyone think a move is necessary? Are we uncomfortable having actual NHL players at all forward positions?

I think people are uncomfortable with having so little cap space that a few injuries late in the season could cause us to play with 5 D again. People also want some cap space to go out and get a top 4 Dman at some point if possible (Hamhuis at the deadline, for example).

And, people would rather get rid of Kunitz while he still has value. Patience is probably the right approach, but we still have a few cap anchors signed for 2 seasons.

 

[IcedCapp]

am i missing the posts complaining about this signing?

I've seen like 5 that say "why are people complaining" and 0 "complaining"

 

[Shady Machine]

am i missing the posts complaining about this signing?

I've seen like 5 that say "why are people complaining" and 0 "complaining"

Yup no complaining from what I've seen. A few, including myself, of "really, what? why?" initially, but all positive since.

 

[acrat11]

At this point you have to assume the F reshuffling is done, with enough depth to allow GMJR to move Kunitz if he needs to for a 3/4D. That would be the ideal final move to assemble this team.

This post made me realize, for whatever reason, that playing Kunitz in the top six this year is probably our best option. He isn't enough of an anchor that he will keep this team from winning and come the deadline his points will be inflated and we can hopefully move him to a desperate team for a top 4 defenseman. If he is in the bottom six, points won't be inflated and we lose the leverage that he "still has some left in the tank"

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

am i missing the posts complaining about this signing?

I've seen like 5 that say "why are people complaining" and 0 "complaining"

I thought i saw a couple early on but could easily have it confused with the Trade board?