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Matt Cullen

#7 · Centre · Pittsburgh Penguins

Born Nov 2, 1976 in Virginia, Minnesota, USA · 6'1", 202 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 35th overall in 1996 by ANA (round 2)

Trophy case

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2010-11. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Anthony Stewart ATL · 39 P in 80 GP Valtteri Filppula DET · 39 P in 71 GP Mason Raymond VAN · 39 P in 70 GP Cory Stillman CAR · 39 P in 65 GP Sergei Samsonov FLA · 40 P in 78 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030401997-98: 27 points2797-981998-99: 25 points251999-00: 39 points3999-002000-01: 40 points402001-02: 48 points4801-022002-03: 33 points332003-04: 19 points1903-042005-06: 49 points492006-07: 41 points4106-072007-08: 49 points492008-09: 43 points4308-092009-10: 48 points482010-11: 39 points3910-112011-12: 35 points352012-13: 27 points2712-132013-14: 39 points392014-15: 25 points2514-152015-16: 32 points322016-17: 31 points3116-172017-18: 22 points222018-19: 20 points2018-19

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
1997-98 ANA 61 6 21 27 -4 23 75 39 0.44
1998-99 ANA 75 11 14 25 -12 47 112 41 0.33
1999-00 ANA 80 13 26 39 5 24 137 74 0.49
2000-01 ANA 82 10 30 40 -23 38 159 49 0.49
2001-02 ANA 79 18 30 48 -1 24 164 57 0.61
2002-03 ANA 50 7 14 21 -4 12 77 0 0.42
2002-03 FLA 30 6 6 12 -4 22 54 12 0.40
2003-04 FLA 56 6 13 19 -2 24 75 37 0.34
2005-06 CAR 78 25 24 49 4 40 214 26 0.63
2006-07 NYR 80 16 25 41 0 52 217 61 0.51 $2.875M
2007-08 CAR 59 13 36 49 2 32 137 33 0.83 $2.875M
2008-09 CAR 69 22 21 43 11 20 139 41 0.62 $2.875M
2009-10 CAR 60 12 28 40 0 26 137 63 0.67 $2.875M
2009-10 OTT 21 4 4 8 -7 8 58 12 0.38
2010-11 MIN 78 12 27 39 -14 34 150 39 0.50 $3.5M
2011-12 MIN 73 14 21 35 -10 24 164 46 0.48 $3.5M
2012-13 MIN 42 7 20 27 9 10 79 18 0.64 $3.5M
2013-14 NSH 77 10 29 39 4 32 134 18 0.51 $3.5M
2014-15 NSH 62 7 18 25 8 16 90 10 0.40 $3.5M
2015-16 PIT 82 16 16 32 5 20 118 40 0.39 $800K
2016-17 PIT 72 13 18 31 4 30 93 36 0.43 $1M
2017-18 MIN 79 11 11 22 -1 20 104 14 0.28 $1M
2018-19 PIT 71 7 13 20 6 14 87 32 0.28 $650K
21 seasons Career 1516 266 465 731 -24 592 2774 798 0.48

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
1998-99 ANA 4 0 0 0 -2 0 6 7 0.00
2005-06 CAR 25 4 14 18 2 12 56 27 0.72
2006-07 NYR 10 1 3 4 -2 6 23 9 0.40
2008-09 CAR 18 3 3 6 0 14 29 16 0.33
2009-10 OTT 6 3 5 8 -3 0 14 6 1.33
2012-13 MIN 5 0 3 3 1 2 8 3 0.60
2014-15 NSH 6 1 1 2 -1 4 11 6 0.33
2015-16 PIT 24 4 2 6 3 8 25 25 0.25
2016-17 PIT 25 2 7 9 -1 24 22 20 0.36
2017-18 MIN 5 1 1 2 -3 2 4 3 0.40
2018-19 PIT 4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 6 0.00
11 seasons Playoffs 132 19 39 58 -7 72 201 128 0.44

2010-11 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
78 12 27 39 -14 34 150 39 0.50 8.0 18:02

Contract

$3.5MCap hitends in 2013, then UFA
$90KCap dollars per point39 points in 78 games
$2.211MCap dollars per goal above replacement1.6 goals above replacement
$1.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$2.3MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 315 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2012-13, with 2 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2010-11 $3.5M
2011-12 $3.5M
2012-13 $3.5M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2018-19 to 2018-19 $650K
2016-17 to 2017-18 $1M
2015-16 to 2015-16 $800K
2012-13 to 2014-15 $3.5M
2010-11 to 2012-13 $3.5M
2006-07 to 2009-10 $2.875M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2010-11 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2010-11 analytics

Rating

+1.6Goals above replacement388th of 672 skaters, 278th of 439 forwards
+0.3Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-2.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 439 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-2.5 15th percentileEven-strength defence-2.3 10th percentilePower play+1.5 92nd percentilePenalty kill+0.3 85th percentilePenalties+0.7 62nd percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-2024682010-112012-132014-152016-172018-19Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

43.7Corsi for %756 attempts for, 973 against
-2.3CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
44.4Expected goals for %31.1 expected for, 39.0 against
-1.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
42.6Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
44.9Goals for %31 for, 38 against
100.6PDO7.9% shooting + 92.7% saves
165Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 569 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Matt Cullen · Martin Havlat · Kyle Brodziak1667:0049.349.46-0
Matt Cullen · Patrick O'Sullivan · Cal Clutterbuck1063:4055.249.02-1
Matt Cullen · Chuck Kobasew · Pierre-Marc Bouchard1163:1835.142.62-2
Andrew Brunette · Matt Cullen · Antti Miettinen1350:0349.462.80-1

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

12Goalsnot counting empty-netters
13.4Expected goalsfrom 206 unblocked attempts
-1.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.57 expected goals per 60 minutes25th
Shot quality 6.5% chance per attempt25th
Finishing -1.4 goals above expected35thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 406 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0510Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 13.4Goals 12

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 10, 2011 vs DAL W 5-3 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 16:56
Apr 8, 2011 @ EDM W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 18:40
Apr 7, 2011 @ VAN L 0-5 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 21:12
Apr 3, 2011 @ DET L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 2 4 2 16:10
Apr 2, 2011 vs TBL L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 2 4 0 19:25
Mar 31, 2011 vs EDM W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:26
Mar 29, 2011 @ STL W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 17:09
Mar 26, 2011 vs STL L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 2 0 1 13:51
Mar 22, 2011 vs TOR L 0-3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 17:08
Mar 20, 2011 vs MTL L 1-8 0 0 0 -4 0 2 0 18:13
Mar 19, 2011 vs CBJ L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 0 15:54
Mar 17, 2011 @ SJS L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 15:55
Mar 14, 2011 @ VAN L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 18:11
Mar 11, 2011 @ DAL L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 21:13
Mar 10, 2011 @ NSH L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 20:03
Mar 8, 2011 vs COL W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 20:08
Mar 6, 2011 vs BUF L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 17:35
Mar 3, 2011 @ NYR W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:54
Mar 2, 2011 @ NYI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:18
Feb 28, 2011 vs CHI L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 19:39
Feb 25, 2011 @ ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 21:14
Feb 24, 2011 @ LAK L 2-4 0 1 1 -2 0 0 3 20:30
Feb 22, 2011 vs EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 17:47
Feb 20, 2011 vs DET L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 20:58
Feb 18, 2011 vs ANA W 5-1 1 0 1 1 2 2 1 22:17
Feb 16, 2011 @ CHI L 1-3 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 15:37
Feb 15, 2011 vs VAN L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 15:47
Feb 12, 2011 vs STL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17:28
Feb 11, 2011 @ STL W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 19:51
Feb 9, 2011 vs COL W 3-2 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 17:36
Feb 3, 2011 @ COL W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 16:38
Feb 1, 2011 vs LAK W 1-0 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 15:18
Jan 25, 2011 @ CHI W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 14:29
Jan 22, 2011 @ SJS L 3-4 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 20:15
Jan 19, 2011 @ CGY W 6-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 18:25
Jan 18, 2011 @ EDM W 4-1 1 1 2 1 0 4 0 14:34
Jan 16, 2011 vs VAN W 4-0 1 1 2 3 0 2 0 18:37
Jan 14, 2011 vs COL L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 17:11
Jan 11, 2011 @ NSH L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 15:56
Jan 9, 2011 vs DAL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 15:14
Jan 8, 2011 @ PIT W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 18:41
Jan 6, 2011 @ BOS W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 17:50
Jan 4, 2011 @ NJD W 2-1 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 19:58
Jan 2, 2011 vs PHX W 6-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 13:35
Dec 31, 2010 vs NSH L 1-4 0 1 1 -1 0 1 2 16:44
Dec 29, 2010 vs SJS W 5-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 14:55
Dec 27, 2010 @ CBJ L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:50
Dec 26, 2010 vs DET L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 17:40
Dec 23, 2010 @ COL W 3-1 2 1 3 2 0 3 1 17:25
Dec 20, 2010 vs CGY W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:01
Dec 18, 2010 @ CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 13:25
Dec 9, 2010 @ PHX W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 08:01
Dec 4, 2010 @ DAL L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 18:01
Dec 3, 2010 vs CGY L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16:41
Dec 1, 2010 vs PHX L 2-4 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 17:24
Nov 29, 2010 @ CGY L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 18:45
Nov 27, 2010 @ COL L 4-7 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 14:29
Nov 26, 2010 vs NSH W 5-2 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 17:51
Nov 24, 2010 vs PHI L 1-6 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 18:49
Nov 20, 2010 vs NYR L 2-5 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 17:05
Nov 19, 2010 @ DET W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 17:49
Nov 17, 2010 vs ANA W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 17:33
Nov 14, 2010 @ TBL W 4-1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 16:28
Nov 12, 2010 @ FLA L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 19:54
Nov 11, 2010 @ ATL L 1-5 0 1 1 -2 0 0 1 18:36
Nov 6, 2010 @ CBJ W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 21:12
Nov 5, 2010 vs CGY W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 22:12
Nov 2, 2010 vs SJS W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 20:01
Oct 30, 2010 vs CHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 22:47
Oct 28, 2010 vs WSH W 2-1 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 22:36
Oct 25, 2010 vs LAK L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:41
Oct 22, 2010 @ VAN L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 22:09
Oct 21, 2010 @ EDM W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 19:08
Oct 19, 2010 vs VAN W 6-2 1 1 2 0 4 1 0 15:32
Oct 16, 2010 vs CBJ L 2-3 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 18:40
Oct 14, 2010 vs EDM W 4-2 1 1 2 0 2 3 1 19:34
Oct 8, 2010 @ CAR L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 20:52
Oct 7, 2010 vs CAR L 3-4 1 1 2 -1 2 1 0 23:32