Penguins/NHL
Cooke’s market value upwards of $2 million per season?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have intensified talks with Pat Morris, the agent for Matt Cooke.
The two sides have been actively engaged in talks since early last week and numbers have been exchanged.
However, the two sides remain apart on the amount of money per season.
It is believed that concessions from both sides are going to have to be made for an agreement to be reached before July 1.
Team sources indicate the primary issue in talks is not the term of the contract but the amount of compensation per season.
The Penguins I’m told have not made an official offer but have centered talks off of a three year contract.
Cooke made $1.2 million last season and is eyeing a multi-year deal in the range of $2 million per season.
The going rate for a player of Cooke’s caliber is in the low $2 million range.
It is unknown the specific numbers that are coming from the Penguins end but word is that the two sides are about $500,000 apart.
It’s believed that the Penguins would be unlikely to offer much more than $1.5 million per season on a three year deal. The Penguins I’m told that Cooke’s demands come down as July 1 inches closer.
It Cooke hits the open market, early speculation has centered around the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings being among the most interested teams.
There has been been talk that Cooke is also on the Washington Capitals radar even though Cooke’s time in Washington didn’t go very well.
They didn’t make an attempt to sign Cooke in 2008.
