Assistant general manager Bill Guerin said he was glad Cullen chose not to retire; that should eliminate any lingering questions that come with walking away after a strong season.
"I think you just don't know until you get there, but when you're that close, it's also tough to keep it in perspective that once it's gone, it's gone," Guerin said. "Because if you retire, if you quit, if you do whatever, six months down the road, you're not going to be able to just say 'Oh, I'm going to just play again.' No, you're done."
After Lovejoy's departure, the return of Schultz preserves some stability along the blue line. Schultz, Kris Letang, Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole and Brian Dumoulin likely will fill the six spots in Pittsburgh's dynamic defense.
Defenseman Derrick Pouliot, going into his third NHL season, could earn regular playing time with a strong training camp. If so, the 22-year-old has the talent to possibly fit into one of Pittsburgh's three pairs sometime during the season.
The Penguins worked to build more defensive depth early in the offseason, re-signing Steve Oleksy and signing David Warsofsky, Stuart Percy, Cameron Gaunce and Chad Ruhwedel. Defenseman Tim Erixon was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract.
"Getting Warsofsky back was good. [Sullivan] likes him," Rutherford said. "He can play in certain situations. And Oleksy was a key guy for us. Erixon was another one. I give him a lot of credit. He had a chance to go to Russia and make a lot more money. He'd really like to get back to the NHL. He has some work to do. He's got to build up his lower body, get a half of a step, but he's a smart player and if he has a good summer, he could find a spot on our team."