So we have some more Penguins news to talk about. Matt Cullen will be remaining with the defending Stanley Cup champions for what should be his final season in the league. He signed a one year deal worth 1.0M. This wasn't the sure thing that it looked like earlier in the summer. The longer this dragged on the more it looked doubtful that Cullen would be back.
Here is what the current cap situation looks like
Oskar Sundqvist was making $700,000 and will go back to the AHL. Matt Cullen adds $300,000 to the cap. Technically speaking the team still has enough money to sign Jimmy Vesey if he were to choose the Penguins.
Matt Cullen had a great year as a depth player for the Penguins last year. He scored 16 goals which was the most he scored in a season since 2008-09 despite usually being buried with defensive zone starts.
It is also worth noting that he did that while maintaining a 13.8% shooting percentage. That is likely to go down. It was the second highest mark of his career. For his career he shoots at 9.4%. As a result it would be wise to temper expectations on the goal scoring front for Cullen's final season. In an effort to help ease that likely regression the team could give him some more favorable zone starts.
Having Matt Cullen back wasn't something that NEEDED to happen but it is very nice and opens up some more roster possibilities now that he is back. Perhaps the team isn't thinking this way but I there is a guy currently on the roster that sticks out like sore thumb and I would probably look to move for some cap relief.
That somebody is Eric Fehr. With Matt Cullen back and a lot of younger forwards on ELC's looking to earn spots on the roster next year (Sheary, Rust, Kuhnhackl, Wilson, Sundqvist) I don't see the need to pay a fourth line player 2M. Especially a team so close to the cap ceiling. There just isn't enough value in that 2M when another player can do similar things for ~25% of the cost.
I still believe that signing Eric Fehr was a good move for the organization. They were coming off multiple seasons where their bottom six resembled a pile of feces and dragged the team down. Fehr was a step in the right direction. Things do change and with the influx of young cost controlled talent I don't see why the team needs to keep Fehr on the roster anymore. Fehr probably wouldn't mind a change of scenery either. He is never going to get more than 4th line minutes with this roster and I don't think that is what he had in mind when he initially signed with Pittsburgh.
His cap space could open up a nice possibility that is out there for the taking right now. I would take Eric Fehr's cap hit and allocate it to Jiri Hudler. Hudler fills a need and a hole that those younger players probably aren't suited for anyways. Bryan Rust on the fourth line right wing looks a hell of a lot better than on Geno's wing. It is a way more appropriate role for him. Jiri Hudler has consistently produced top line even-strength production the past few years. It is a head scratcher why he is still on the market to be honest.
If you could pay around the same amount of money for Hudler it would be a no brainer to flip Fehr for a draft pick to free up some money.
So to sum things up. Matt Cullen is back and that is very good. Temper expectations on the goal scoring front for him. Don't bury him in the defensive zone as often. Look at other potential roster moves like trading Eric Fehr for cap space. Sign a proven top six winger off the trash heap for less than his actual value.
It is there on a platter if the team wants to do it.
Thanks for reading!
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