With the limited funds, the Pittsburgh Penguins had some tough decisions to make as they approached the offseason. With the re-signing of Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis and Rob Scuderi, fan favorite Matt Cooke found himself on the outside looking in. While losing Cooke was hard for Pens fans, knowing the reason that he left could make it a little bit easier to swallow.
According to a source close to Cooke, the Penguins started talking money with Scuderi’s agent before they were technically allowed. Also according to the source, he turned down more money to go to the Western Conference to play for the Minnesota Wild. Reportedly, the New York Rangers were going after Cooke and offered him more money than the Wild did. However, according to the source, Cooke would only go to the Western Conference, partly out of respect to the Penguins and also the Penguins reportedly promised Cooke a job when he retires. The Cooke’s are reportedly expected to live on a property in a new high-end, million dollar housing plan that is in the development stages in Mars, Pa. that hasn’t been announced yet, according to the source.
The job was not disclosed.
When reaching out to the Penguins camp, they declined to comment.
