Matt Cullen could have retired a back-to-back champ or re-signed in Pittsburgh for a chance to three-peat.
Instead, the born and bred Minnesotan and former St. Cloud State standout has made a family decision and decided to return for a second stint and 20th NHL season with his home-state Wild.
Cullen's deal is for one year at $1 million, with another $700,000 possible in performance bonuses.
Cullen, who turns 41 in November, was leaning toward retirement in June after winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup with the Penguins. The man called, "Dad," inside the Penguins locker room and among the passionate Pens' fan base wants to give it at least one last go by moving his family back to Minnesota. The signing comes seven years after first signing with the Wild and just two weeks before he'll celebrate in Moorhead with the Stanley Cup for a third time.
Cullen, who has played 202 games the past two seasons, spent much of the offseason discussing with his wife, Bridget, the pros and cons of continuing to play. They have three sons who have been spent the past two years being schooled by a private teacher at the Penguins' practice facility.
The couple wants to get their sons back into a regular routine where they can be taught in a school and meet friends.
Cullen, who has played the most games of anybody from the 1996 draft, has scored 248 goals and 689 points in 1,366 regular-season games. He has scored another 18 goals and 56 points in 123 playoff games. He will be reunited in Minnesota with Eric Staal, his close friend whom he won a Stanley Cup with in Carolina in 2006.
Cullen played for the Wild from 2010-13 and scored 33 goals and 91 points in 193 games.
Cullen is being signed to be the fourth-line center, but he's somebody who can slide up the lineup in case of injury (he showed that in the most recent Cup Final when Nick Bonino went down with an ankle injury) or if the Wild wants to move Charlie Coyle to wing. In the past two Cup Final clinching games, Cullen was heavily used by Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. In the most recent one, he topped 19 minutes, won key draws and was on the ice for the game-winning goal.
