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

[rmartin65]

Did Sundqvist just become expendable to be packaged?

I would be shocked. Sundqvist is a pretty unique prospect for the Pens. A large, aggressive, defensively-responsible forward with offensive potential? He is not a blue-chipper or anything, but he is a valuable piece moving forward.

 

[Sam Spade]

Really wish JR would dump some dead weight salary to give the roster some cap flexibility this season. Come on, Kunitz and/or Scuderi can't be that difficult to get rid of, can they?

Not trying to be a smart ass but just want to state the obvious, he just picked up more dead weight with this signing.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

I have faith in IC's sources that the plan is to move some dead weight before training camp. Waiting sucks, but I think we will have some relief by September.

 

[Captain Hook]

I don't think it has much to do with Sundqvist's future either. Teams just aren't as quick to hand spots to unproven players as fans want to be. Cullen serves as a stopgap while Fehr is out injured or while Sundqvist gets more adjusted to the North American game in WBS.

 

[mpp9]

Not trying to be a smart ass but just want to state the obvious, he just picked up more dead weight with this signing.

Cullen may wash up this season, but he wasn't last year. You have no basis to make that statement.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Cullen may wash up this season, but he wasn't last year. You have no basis to make that statement.

Right, I could see the issue if he was signed for multiple years.

At 800,000 for a year there's really no downside.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I don't think it has much to do with Sundqvist's future either. Teams just aren't as quick to hand spots to unproven players as fans want to be. Cullen serves as a stopgap while Fehr is out injured or while Sundqvist gets more adjusted to the North American game in WBS.

I see it as this as well.

Cullen, for however old he is, put up 39pts and then 25pts and is still a 54+% faceoff man, the guy is a beast at the draw, never dipping below 51% since 2008. I mean, he still has wheels, is a tenacious player and what more can you want at that price? It lets Sundqvist ease into everything in the AHL first and Fehr take his time healing.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I see it as this as well.

Cullen, for however old he is, put up 39pts and then 25pts and is still a 54+% faceoff man, the guy is a beast at the draw, never dipping below 51% since 2008. I mean, he still has wheels, is a tenacious player and what more can you want at that price? It lets Sundqvist ease into everything in the AHL first and Fehr take his time healing.

or potentially, it lets us trade Kunitz with Sundqvist still being our 12th forward. Which could be fantastic.

 

[Captain Hook]

Yeah, Cullen will either not be washed up and be a useful 4th liner or he'll be our dirt cheap veteran healthy scratch in the press box. Not much downside to that.

 

[mpp9]

If he can still skate like what I saw from my limited viewings last year, he's a huge upgrade in that department. Our bottom six needed that.

 

[66-30-33]

I like this signing.

 

[66-30-33]

Kane, Bickell, 2nd

Halak, Ryder, 2nd.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

If he can still skate like what I saw from my limited viewings last year, he's a huge upgrade in that department. Our bottom six needed that.

Last year, winning faceoffs was a problem.

This year, the Pens added 2 very good faceoff guys and Sid will rebound in that regard, Bonino isn't terrible either but he's not good, hovering from 43-48% his entire career.

 

[StroShow]

Pens are not over the cap , don't know why that's being said

https://www.hockeyscap.com/armchair-gm/edit/26597

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Last year, winning faceoffs was a problem.

This year, the Pens added 2 very good faceoff guys and Sid will rebound in that regard, Bonino isn't terrible either but he's not good, hovering from 43-48% his entire career.

I'm just happy we have another guy on top of Fehr that can take tough D zone draws. That should mean less FO's and hard miles on Sid. All of this depth should mean we get a fresher Sid and Geno in the playoffs, and maybe even longer, more productive careers out of them.

 

[Darth Vitale]

I REALLY can't say. It would betray my source

You can
Extrapolate
Something from this post, though.

I see what you're saying. Unless, of course, you're just a poet who loves free verse.

The interesting thing was the question he quoted was about Crosby. Hopefully the original questioner was being sarcastic and IC too.

Trade Scuderi, that'll be plenty thanks.

 

[Jacob]

I'm just happy we have another guy on top of Fehr that can take tough D zone draws. That should mean less FO's and hard miles on Sid. All of this depth should mean we get a fresher Sid and Geno in the playoffs, and maybe even longer, more productive careers out of them.

Good point. Fehr can take D zone draws on the right, Cullen on the left. That'll give us some pretty strong possession numbers. It saves Sid for the important offensive zone draws.

 

[DoktorZaius]

This is a great sign. This is a guy we normally target at deadlines and lose assets. Toronto does bargain signings every year and those players are covered at the deadline. Not saying we'll be trading him, but we won't be trading FOR him. (*cough* Winnik *cough*)

This is where I'm at as well with this. Worst case scenario is that he's completely fallen off, in which you case you move him down to the A. If he's merely serviceable, you make a habit of carrying him as a healthy scratch. Should definitely get some games off regardless, at his age.

 

[Freeptop]

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

Don't worry. With the way the Pens get injured, I'm sure Sundqvist will be the team's second line center by the end of November...

 

[888 98 twins]

With the roster as currently constructed, Erixon as the 8th D and Farnham as the 13th forward, the Pens have $400k in cap space with this roster:

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Kunitz-Malkin-Kessel
Bonino-Fehr-Dupuis
Plotnikov-Cullen-Bennett (Arrange the lines however you'd like, these are our 12 forwards when healthy.)
Farnham

Maatta-Letang
Pouliot-Lovejoy
Dumoulin-Cole
Scuderi-Erixon

Fleury
Zatkoff

$405,001 in cap space to be exact. That is plenty with a 23 man roster. Would still love to see Scuderi go and replaced with someone cheaper so we can bank some pro-rated cap space for the deadline.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Not trying to be a smart ass but just want to state the obvious, he just picked up more dead weight with this signing.

No matter how bad Cullen ends up being (if he ends up being bad, that is), I'd hardly call a guy making $800k and only signed for one year a dead weight contract. Kunitz and Scuderi are dead weight not only because of their yearly salary (cap hit), but they also still have term on their deal after this season.

 

[DoktorZaius]

Not trying to be a smart ass but just want to state the obvious, he just picked up more dead weight with this signing.

For the love of god, how can you think Craig Adams is a valuable veteran and Matt Cullen is dead weight?

 

[brewski420]

No matter how bad Cullen ends up being (if he ends up being bad, that is), I'd hardly call a guy making $800k and only signed for one year a dead weight contract. Kunitz and Scuderi are dead weight not only because of their yearly salary (cap hit), but they also still have term on their deal after this season.

Exactly, not sure how this can even remotely be called a dead weight signing.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

or potentially, it lets us trade Kunitz with Sundqvist still being our 12th forward. Which could be fantastic.

Could be, but it does not hurt this team to wait it out with Sundqvist, I see that kid as incredibly motivated to play in the NHL asap and if he is sent down, I think it'd be maybe 20 or so games until he's making it hard to keep him in the AHL. Until then, there's some seriously solid depth if we get past our own personal dislike for certain players.

When healthy, we're looking at what?

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

I'm a little excited for the NHL to start asap.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

No matter how bad Cullen ends up being (if he ends up being bad, that is), I'd hardly call a guy making $800k and only signed for one year a dead weight contract. Kunitz and Scuderi are dead weight not only because of their yearly salary (cap hit), but they also still have term on their deal after this season.

Serious question, at that cap hit, looking at Cullen the last 5yrs, would you say he's been bad?

I can't, I honestly can't. That cap hit is phenomenal for the versatility he brings to that 4th line and the ability to be a damn good faceoff man on the PK.

The team has 2 solid options there now with Fehr and Cullen.