To me, Matt Cullen evokes the old saying, “Jack of all trades, but a master of none.” Cullen seems like a good character guy, is an adequate defensive player, is well above average when it comes to face-offs and can put the puck in the net on occasion. Rarely would you say that he’s the best - or even elite - in any of those areas, though.
Yet the Minnesota Wild seem quite impressed with the versatile center, signing him to a surprisingly robust three-year, $10.5 million deal according to Nick Kypreos. That’s $3.5 million per year, cap-hit wise.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Cullen is far from a bad player. I just think it’s a hefty price for a solid, likable but seemingly replaceable set of skills.