Latest Updates Cooke, Guerin, Gonchar
On Matt Cooke: Negotiations between Pens GM Ray Shero and Pat Morris heated up earlier this week. From the Penguins end, parameters have been established on what they can and are willing to offer.
There is a mutual interest from both sides to get a done deal but as of late Friday afternoon the two sides were not close to reaching a new deal.
The primary issue is not the term of the contract but the amount of money per season.
Cooke’s market value is at least in the low $2 million range and Pittsburgh is only willing to offer a slight increase in pay from Cooke’s salary of $1.2 million.
The Penguins want Cooke back and have tabbed him as a priority.
On Sergei Gonchar: As previously reported, negotiations between Penguins GM Ray Shero and J.P. Barry have intensified in the past couple days.
Numbers have been exchanged between the two sides and negotiations continued over the weekend.
Most of the Penguins hockey operations staff are departing for Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.
I’m told that there will be clarification on Gonchar’s future by Thursday at latest.
Gonchar’s camp is mulling over the numbers and term being proposed by the Penguins. More on this later.
On Bill Guerin Preliminary discussions between Pens GM Ray Shero and Bob Murray the agent for Billy Guerin began on Tuesday of this week.

Guerin has full intentions of playing next season and will only consider a select amount of teams with Pittsburgh being the first option.
Murray and Shero are scheduled to meet in Los Angeles early this week and begin the process of setting up the parameters for a potential return to Pittsburgh.
Guerin took a $2.5 million pay cut last season and a significant paycut is not going to be proposed by the Penguins this season I have learned.
One option will be the possibility of bonuses in the contract which was proposed by the Penguins last year but declined by Guerin because he wanted to help the Penguins cap situation.