Is Matt Cooke worth the trouble? That is a question the Penguins organization, specifically Ray Shero, is going to have to ask when potential negotiations begin. Cooke is a double edged sword. It is no secret that he is a lightning rod for hate around the league. Obviously Cooke is guilty of committing some of the dirtier plays that we have seen in the past number of years (I’m fairly sure that has been well documented). The flip side is that he is a hell of a third line player and can be an asset to whatever team he is playing for.
Matt Cooke has been one of the anchors on the Penguins third line since his arrival in Pittsburgh for the 2008-2009 season. For a good stretch of time the line of Staal, Cooke, and Kennedy was one of the best third lines in hockey.
Going into any given year you can expect Cooke to play solid third line minutes which has included responsible defensive play while piling up between 30-40 points. In his Pittsburgh career Cooke has played in 352 games and has 67 goals and 150 points.
You will also get a very good player for your penalty kill. Cooke is consistently one of the team leaders in shorthanded time on ice per game. In 2012-2013 he was 2nd best on the Penguins amongst forwards with 2:11 minutes per game shorthanded, only Craig Adams (2:39) averaged more.
In 2011-2012 Cooke averaged 2:32, only Adams (2:51) and Staal (2:38) averaged more time per game.
Cooke is also durable, having only missed 24 games in the past 5 seasons. Most of those missed games were due to suspension from ill advised plays.
Speaking of his suspensions…
After his long suspension for elbowing Ryan McDonagh in the head, the Penguins told Cooke he needed to clean up his act or hit the road. Since that time Matt Cooke has indeed avoided the situations that had previously gotten him into hot water. In his first three years with the Penguins Cooke was playing reckless hockey. He played in 222 games and had 336 penalty minutes. That averaged out to 1.51 PIM/game. Since making an effort to reform he has played in 130 games and has acquired 80 penalty minutes. That makes for an average of .62 PIM/game. This is a significant drop off. In fact during the 2011-2012 season, Cooke came close to having more points (38) than penalty minutes (44).
Despite actively changing his game Cooke has still been on the wrong end of some penalty calls. This stems from a reputation that is more than well deserved. This is something the Penguins are going to have to take a hard look at. Is it worth being shorthanded because of reputation calls? A prime example would be the boarding penalty that Matt Cooke took in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. There is no doubt that Cooke deserved to be penalized for his hit on Adam McQuaid, but the major that was assessed was certainly based on reputation.
Here is an identical hit placed by Robyn Regehr earlier in the playoffs from this season, no penalty was called on the play. I thought much like the Cooke play, a boarding minor was appropriate.
Ray Shero is going to have to assess whether the risk of having Cooke on the roster is worth the reward. Reportedly Cooke wants a 3 year deal. Do the Penguins want to commit that long to a player that has the kind of risk that Cooke does? Can the Penguins afford to lose one of their 3rd line anchors? In the past Shero has been hesitant with giving players in their 30’s more than a 2 year extension. This offseason he will have to deal with two players, Cooke and Dupuis, who will be looking to be signed for at least 3 more years.
One thing Ray Shero has going for him is that he acquired Jussi Jokinen at the trade deadline. Shero’s initial motivation for acquiring Jokinen was to be an insurance policy if Crosby’s jaw did not heal. A side benefit is that Jokinen is an extremely versatile player. He can play pretty much anywhere Dan Bylsma sees fit. Jokinen has experience at both center and wing, as well as playing in both top 6 and bottom 6 forward roles. Additionally the Penguins will be getting some salary cap relief from the Hurricanes as part of the deal for Jokinen. By having a player like this locked in for next season it gives Shero a little bit of breathing room for a potential Cooke departure.
Will the Jokinen trade ultimately be what allows the Penguins to move on from Matt Cooke? Considering Cooke was one of the best Penguins forwards in the playoffs this year the decision will not be easy. One thing is for certain, if Cooke finds himself on the open market there will be teams interested. Time will tell.
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