Cullen’s return is shock to him, too

Pittsburgh, which had turned its attention to the Jack Johnson acquisition.

Bringing Cullen back, however, addresses several needs for the Penguins both on and off the ice, and the fan favorite couldn’t possibly be more pumped to add another chapter to his storied career.

“I’m really excited to be coming back,” Cullen said. “It’s a pretty cool opportunity at my age to come back and try to have another chance at making a run with this team.

“I guess I wasn’t really expecting anything after I saw the signings that he had made, but I’m glad it worked out.”

In Cullen, the Penguins are bringing back a player who is universally respected by his peers.

Rutherford admitted Sunday that the Penguins lacked Cullen’s personality — a veteran leader not afraid to say something and take on a leadership role — and addressed that in a big way.

“We lacked some leadership last year,” Rutherford said at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “We feel with the character of Jack Johnson and Matt Cullen going back in that room, we’re going to get some of that back.”

Rutherford didn’t say whether Cullen would play wing or whether Derick Brassard or Riley Sheahan would have to move. But, right now, the Penguins have five centers for four spots.

They can either trade one, or they could have one of them shift to wing, which each is capable of doing.

Cullen said Sunday he couldn’t care less how things shake out. If anything, the multi-faceted role he was able to play in Pittsburgh was something he treasured; Cullen loves moving up all over the place based on matchups or injuries.

“You want to be challenged and pushed to your limit and allowed to use your strengths to help your team,” Cullen said.

“In my time in Pittsburgh, I’ve been used in a lot of different ways. I absolutely love that.”

The acquisition of Cullen does further the discussion on a few depth-chart issues.

What will become of Brassard? It’s fair to wonder whether the Penguins still might try to dangle him in a trade, knowing they could use Sheahan as their thirdline center and Cullen as their No. 4.

The Penguins also badly needed another forward who can kill penalties and take draws on them. Brassard has won just 48.2 percent of faceoffs throughout his career and has never been a regular in the penalty-killing rotation.

Rutherford spoke last Monday about the fact that Brassard will need to kill penalties, but signing Cullen means Brassard won’t have to do it.

Other forwards who will get time there include Carl Hagelin, Bryan Rust and Zach Aston-Reese, in addition to Sheahan and Cullen.

The Cullen move comes at an interesting time.

A year ago, he was deadset on moving back home to Minnesota, for his wife and sons and to finish out his career with the Wild. It didn’t go as planned. The off-ice stuff was great, but the fit Cullen found in Pittsburgh wasn’t there in Minnesota, whether that was system or usage. He spent a few games as a healthy scratch and was nearly dealt back to Pittsburgh at the deadline.

Given a chance to play for a team that probably better utilizes his talents, Cullen didn’t balk at the opportunity.

“if you look at it a little philosophically, you only live once,” Cullen said. “If you get an opportunity like this, at age 41, with three boys who love the game of hockey and who love what we had in Pittsburgh … my wife is so supportive and so competitive and wants to bring everything back to Pittsburgh.

“We sort of looked at it like we did the first year — as an opportunity that’s too good to pass up. It’s a special place.

“We have some great relationships there and a real comfort level with the organization. I’m feeling really motivated. If nothing else, last year served to motivate me even more.”

Cullen said he has been training — the Wild’s season finished in April, he pointed out — and his body has been responding well.

“If I don’t train,” Cullen cracked, “I feel like my decision is made for me.”

But the combination of his body feeling good and some lingering feelings that maybe the Cullen family let one slip through their fingers last season … well, let’s just say it won’t be long before Cullen’s kids will be back to school in Cranberry and Matt will be back on the ice, playing a crucial role for the Penguins, whatever that turns out to be.

“After the years we had in Pittsburgh, there was a pretty special bond there,” Cullen said. “We always kept [tabs on the Penguins]. It was a family decision that we made [to leave]. For our family, it was the right thing at the time.

“Hockey-wise, it didn’t play out the way that I had hoped. When this opportunity came up, it was kind off tough to pass up. It was sort of a second chance at finishing off my career in Pittsburgh. We’re really happy to be back.”