The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Matt Cooke on waivers according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN. Cooke has one year remaining on his deal with a $2.5 million cap hit. Should he go unclaimed, the Wild will buy out the last year of his contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Teams are able to start buying out players until June 30, however they no longer receive complete salary cap relief as the compliance buyout period ended last offseason. Cooke will be owed two-thirds of remaining value on his contract if he is indeed bought out.
Cooke dealt with injuries last season and managed to appear in just 29 games in which he posted 10 points. The noted agitator also had two assists in seven postseason contests.
At 36 years old, this could be the end of the road for Cooke in the NHL. He has appeared in 1,046 NHL games over his career. Over that span, he posted 398 points and 1,135 penalty minutes, along with numerous suspension. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Over the last two years, Cooke appeared in 111 games after signing with the Wild as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2013-14 season.
