Center Matt Cullen remains an unrestricted free agent but is preparing to play what would be his 18th season in the NHL, The Tennessean reported Tuesday.
Cullen, who turns 39 in November, played 62 regular-season games for the Nashville Predators last season and had seven goals and 18 assists. He had one goal and one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I'm excited about the idea of playing again," Cullen said. "I'm leaning a lot more that way. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be somewhere, because I am 38 and teams see that number and it's a big number, so I understand that side of it. … Bottom line is that I just still really love to play the game, and the fact that I'm excited about another season is a good thing."
Teams have inquired about Cullen for this season and said they would get back to him once priorities were handled and their rosters began to take shape, according to The Tennessean.
"The last little bit, it's kind of picked up a little bit, and there's a few teams now that have expressed some interest," Cullen said. "We're just going through where I would fit salary cap wise and things like that. … It's been good. I've been thrilled with the fact that there's been a few teams looking to hopefully make a move here."
Cullen has 219 goals and 407 assists in 1,212 games for the Predators, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks.