Cullen: Difficult to call Pens GM with decision to join Wild

While Matt Cullen will be coming home, having signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, deciding to leave the Pittsburgh Penguins was far from easy.

The 40-year-old opted to against chasing a third straight Stanley Cup with the Penguins, and Cullen admitted Wednesday it was difficult to call Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford with the news because he owes him a lot, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

In the end Cullen insists it was a family decision, but it was still diffcult.

"It was not an easy decision. Minnesota is home and a special place for me," Cullen said. "It's not easy to say goodbye."

That said, Cullen is excited to re-join Eric Staal - with whom he won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 - per Russo.

Going into his 20th NHL season, Cullen expects the 2017-18 campaign to be his last, but joked that he says that before every season.