Matt Cullen will play against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday for the first time since signing with the Nashville Predators. Cullen spent his previous three seasons with the Minnesota Wild. "It's always fun when you play your old team," he said. "I created some pretty good friendships during the time I was there and it's where I was born and where I'm from, so it'll add a lot to the game and be a lot of fun and exciting." Cullen is searching for his first point with the Predators.

Matt Cullen is skating between Viktor Stalberg and Colin Wilson at training camp and the trio may start the regular season together. "When you get into game situations, you really start working on it," Cullen said. "Viktor and I are learning a new system and new spots to be, along with getting a feel for new linemates. When you get into games, you really start to get a feel." They should see some action in the preseason to try to develop some chemistry.

If Matt Cullen draws first-line minutes, he'll be ready for it. That's what he told the Tennessean, at least. "As a competitor and an athlete, you always look for those situations to do more and make an impact on a game, on a team, and on a season," Cullen said. "I've played a lot of hockey and feel like I have enough experience now where I'm comfortable with whatever is thrown at me, and I'm looking forward to any of those challenges."

Newest Predator Matt Cullen says he spoke with former Nashville player Ryan Suter prior to signing with the team as a free agent. "I like the way that they play the game. I always have. I talked to Ryan Suter quite a bit throughout the season last year and he said a lot of good things. They're always one of the hardest-working teams in the league and I've always had a lot of respect for them." Cullen's fantasy value will likely be consistent with prior years in that he could have value in very deep formats.

The Nashville Predators have signed Matt Cullen to a two-year/$7 million contract. Cullen will become a top-six forward for the Predators who also added Viktor Stalberg to their offensive corps. He had seven goals and 27 points in 42 games with the Wild last season and will be a big force on the power play for the Predators.

Matt Cullen won't get a contract offer from Minnesota, so he'll become an unrestricted free agent Friday. "[GM] Chuck [Fletcher] said all along he wasn't going to do that unless he could make a legitimate offer," Cullen said. "That's a pretty classy move. He called me last night and we talked a little while and he said it's a tough call to make, but he just can't find the room to make an offer. So that was it. It was a sad night in the Cullen household last night. We were pretty disappointed, but understanding of the situation." Cullen had seven goals and 27 points in 42 games with Minnesota last season. He has already attracted interest from other teams, but he isn't sure if he'll have a new contract finalized somewhere else on Friday when free agency begins.

Matt Cullen has garnered "lots of interest" and has fielded numerous calls from teams, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Michael Russo. The veteran who will be an unrestricted free agent won't rule out staying with Minnesota, though there isn't much indication from the team it wants to keep him. "I'm just waiting to hear what Minnesota's doing, but in the meantime, I've taken some calls from other teams," Cullen said. "It's a weird deal the way it's set up now and I'm just trying to go into this with as open as a mind as possible. [Chuck Fletcher's] been very up front and honest with me and I'll continue to do the same thing with them and keep communicating. Cullen who made $3.5 million this season, notched 27 points.

Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher says re-signing Matt Cullen will be "challenging, but not impossible." The 36-year-old Cullen said he would like to return to Minnesota, but the Wild are up against the salary cap and it's unclear if they'll be able to meet his price on the open market. "I've been upfront with Cully and his agent: It's challenging, but not impossible to bring him back," Fletcher said. "But there's work to do to make it happen and he recognizes that. We have a lot of balls in the air right now."

Matt Cullen, 36, is an unrestricted free agent this summer but he sounds as if he'd like to re-sign with the Minnesota Wild. "I feel good about where my game and body is at," Cullen said. "I know I'm getting older and later in my career, but I feel better than I've ever felt on the ice. It helps keep you feeling young and excited get work this summer." He added: "I understand (the Wild has) serious cap issues. I'll say this, I'm anxious to hear from them and I really commend the job that (general manager) Chuck Fletcher has done. Obviously getting Zach (Parise) and Ryan (Suter) speaks for itself, but man, the job (Jonas) Brodin and (Charlie) Coyle did this year, and Zucks (Jason Zucker) to a certain extend when he was here. The impact those guys had, that's pretty unique to have guys that play that kind of role and big minutes and be so good at such a young age. So I'm very optimistic about the future."

Matt Cullen was very disappointed with the Minnesota Wild's first-round exit. "It was about as disappointed as I think I've ever been," Cullen said. "I really felt we missed an opportunity this year probably more than maybe any other time in my career. Maybe it's because of where I'm at in my career and being from Minnesota and not knowing if this was my last season in Minnesota. It was really a tough one to handle." Cullen is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but he's open to re-signing with the Minnesota Wild. The 36-year-old forward had seven goals and 27 points in 48 games in 2012-13.