Confirmed Signing with Link: [PIT] Penguins re-sign Matt Cullen to 1 year deal

[caley]

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[BrookswasHere44]

So no Vesey then?

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

respect to Pens for this. I loved him in playoffs last year and he deserves this. Unreal he has played almost 1400 NHL games

 

[Jaded-Fan]

And I doubt that the Pens get Vesey, but this move is completely unrelated. The Pens could easily fit both, and Cullen would not be vying for Malkin or Crosby's wing as Vesey would be.

 

[gdsmack267]

So no Vesey then?

Could just be odd timing but this makes sense. They might have been waiting to hear from Veseys camp until making the final offer

 

[Coach Travis]

This is more conflicted then I thought I'd feel about re-signing Cullen. I'm guessing Vesey said 'no'? Oh well, Cullen will be a better player next year than Vesey so it makes us better for at least next season so... Yay?

 

[wej20]

Sweet, Cullen seems to be ageless.

 

[gdsmack267]

Also for what he brings at 1 million this is a great contract. He really is underrated

 

[Minnesota]

Damn, wanted the Wild to sign him.

 

[Duck Off]

love Cullen. Was hoping he'd come back to Anaheim, but when we signed Vermette, I knew that ship had sailed. Happy for him and the Pens.

 

[hockeykicker]

i dont think he was gonna sign anywhere else imo

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Amazing signing, he definitely brought more than 1 million in value last year.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Guess they were told Vesey isn't signing with them so they went ahead and resigned Cullen.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I figured the longer he stayed on the market the larger the odds were that he'd be going home to Minnesota. Either way it was going to be Minnesota or Pittsburgh.

Love it. He's worth well more than twice that cap hit.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

i dont think he was gonna sign anywhere else imo

That was my thought as well.

Definition of a journeyman player, 8 teams, nearly 1300 games (will hit it this season) 2 Stanley cups. Heck of a career and it's not over yet.

Really happy he's sticking around for another season. He played very well in the playoffs.

 

[COHawk]

Awesome, he had a great year and scored some big goals in the playoffs. Glad to see him wait at least one more year before hanging them up.

 

[Ogelthorpe]

Guess they were told Vesey isn't signing with them so they went ahead and resigned Cullen.

I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with Vesey. They don't play the same position. I don't think the Pens will get Vesey, but if he does want to come to Pittsburgh, they will fit him in rather easily.

 

[ThatGuy22]

That's two years in a row Fletcher has missed out on signing the biggest no brainer contract ever.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

That's two years in a row Fletcher has missed out on signing the biggest no brainer contract ever.

How can I miss an opportunity that was I would guess never offered?

It is like saying, 'damn, that Victoria's Secrets model just got engaged! I should have been in on that!'

 

[Mad Brills*]

They'll sneak under the cap with dupuis's LTIR, but no breathing room.

 

[PhoenyX]

Seems like an eternity ago that he played for the Ducks. Always liked him and was happy to see him win the cup last year.

 

[Mad Brills*]

IF they got vesey they'd then have to clear a roster spot for him right?

 

[molon labe]

Not sure if his kids' relationship with Daley's boy is more of a factor than the locker room or JR - but I was feeling good going into the off season with our chances of resigning him.

As someone else said we could still fit Vesey but it's not really related and I don't really care. I'll take our mixed gang of 900k'ers over what he would bring his first year or two in the NHL.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

They'll sneak under the cap with dupuis's LTIR, but no breathing room.

The Pens had ~$1.7 million in room with the LTIR figured in prior to this move, if my math was right, so this would put the Pens at ~$700k of space with a full 23-man roster...of course Botteril will have to do some gymnastics and plenty of paper moves to actually get that number to work out with the LTIR situation.

IF they got vesey they'd then have to clear a roster spot for him right?

Wilson and/or Sundqvist to the AHL should be enough to do it. Cullen's signing almost certainly means that Sundqvist will start the season in the AHL anyway.

 

[Engebretson]

How can I miss an opportunity that was I would guess never offered?

It is like saying, 'damn, that Victoria's Secrets model just got engaged! I should have been in on that!'

The Wild beat writer has been reporting since July 1st that Cullen has been willing to come home to Minnesota if the Wild wanted him, Fletcher just never offered the contract for whatever reason. The Wild did definitely know about Cullen's interest though as it had become a running joke between the beat writer (Michael Russo) and Wild owner Craig Leipold asking when Cullen would sign.

So, in your analogy, that's like a Victoria's Secret model waiting for you to propose to her, but you sat around and let her get engaged to someone else. We have the perfect opening for Cullen in our bottom six and we'll probably just fill it with a rookie or with a guy like Ryan Carter or Chris Porter now.