Last summer, the Penguins had some wiggle room financially. They had already agreed to terms with Jack Johnson. They had Matt Cullen on speed dial and eventually did bring him back for his final season.
Before Rutherford called Cullen, though, he gave Kunitz a call.
“He wanted to finish up in Chicago,” Rutherford said. “His wife is from there. It’s where they wanted to settle down. It was the right contract for him and I’m really glad he’s still in the game. He’s the kind of guy who should always still be in the game. But yeah, before he signed with the Blackhawks, I called him just to make sure that he was sure. I was considering bringing him back one more time.”