The Penguins have long gone to bat for Matt Cooke but according to sources close to the situation, Cooke and his agent Pat Morris are not expecting any support “at all” from the Penguins this time around, as Cooke meets with league officials in Toronto this afternoon in the 1 p.m. hour.
In fact, there’s buzz around the league that the Penguins are hoping for the league to deliver a hard and long suspension to Cooke.

The sense around the league is that Cooke will receive 8-10 games, knocking him out for most, if not all of the regular season. That’s what the Penguins are bracing for.
A suspension more than 10 games {into the playoffs} is considered a long shot at this point. The NHL though is so unpredictable, it’s a wait and see game right now
The big question right now —— are the Penguins finally becoming embarrassed by Cooke’s actions? His antics appear to be finally crossing the line with the coaching staff and management {Both sides who have been strong supporters of Cooke}.
Sources believe one more mis-step by Cooke could lead to the Penguins parting ways. But, that would be very difficult if it ever came to that.
Cooke has two years left on his deal and a modified no trade clause.
The hope from those inside the organization is that a lesson will be learned, which is why the Penguins are said to support a long suspension.
Some buzz on Cooke from good media folks around the league:
TSN’s Bob McKenzie: “NHL often errs on light side of fan/media expectations, so I will say range for this one will be 7 to 10 games. Ten is the easy call, tho.”
Trib’s Rob Rossi: ” told by several within organization that hope is league comes down hard on Cooke