The three oldest active players in the NHL have all been stars at one point or another in their career. The eldest, Jaromir Jagr (age 44) has Stanley Cups and scoring titles. Patrik Elias (40) leads the Devils in all time points, goals, assists, and has a pair of Stanley Cups. Shane Doan(40) is the face of the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. The next oldest, Matt Cullen also has a pair of Stanley Cups. Unlike the others, he has largely been an unheralded depth center for the duration of his career.

Cullen is currently counting $1 million against the cap for the 2016-2017 season and centering the Pen’s 4th line. Simply put, this is a bargain. On the ice, Cullen passes the “eye test”. He is a competent veteran center that rarely seems at fault or out of position. Off the ice, Cullen is worth his weight in gold as a role model to younger players on the team.

For the 2016-2017 season in progress, Cullen’s Corsi-for (214) ranks him 21st of 46 NHL centers over 30 years of age in the NHL, ahead of free agent darling Antoinne Vermette (210), or higher profile players like David Desharnais (210), or Jason Spezza (178)

This season, Cullen’s Corsi-against (209) ranks him 26th of 46 NHL centers over 30. Amongst the same group, Cullen’s Corsi-for percentage at even strength (50.6) and Corsi-per-60 (1.4) are both even better. He is 18th out of those 46 centermen over 30 years of age.

Additionally, Cullen is ranked 10th of these centermen in faceoff win percentage (54.1%). The sum of the analytics supports the theory that Cullen is a solid underrated player, and a bargain considering his salary. As long as Cullen is content to sign short term contracts, given his age, the Pens should have a roster spot open as long as his play remains consistent.

The 4th line centers from other playoff teams in the Eastern Conference include Phillip Danault (Montreal Canadians), Oscar Lindberg (New York Rangers), Lukas Sedlak (Columbus Blue Jackets), Chris Kelly (Ottawa Senators), and Dominic Moore of the Boston Bruins. They were all compared to Matt Cullen. Cullen leads this group in points with ten and has the second highest faceoff win percentage behind Moore. Perhaps most importantly, Cullen leads this group in time on ice with 338 minutes played so far this season.

The Penguins balanced attack and use of all four lines last year is now widely regarded as key to their Stanley Cup success. The Penguins will need continued production from all lines, including the fourth line, if they hope to repeat their playoff success this spring.