Matt Cooke placed on waivers; buyout next?

The Wild, looking to clear cap space this offseason, has placed veteran Matt Cooke on waivers. If he clears, the next route would be a buyout.

Cooke, 36, who had an injury-ravaged season and was limited to only 29 regular-season games and seven playoff games, has one more year left on his contract at a $2.5 million cap hit with a $3 million salary.

"In order to give our team more salary cap flexibility for the upcoming season we needed to make this difficult decision," said Fletcher. "We thank Matt for his time with the Wild and wish him the best going forward."

If Cooke clears and the Wild buys him out, the Wild will pay him 2/3 his salary over two years $1 million per year. The Wild would save $2 million in cap space this year and $1 million in cap space next year.

Cooke was being shopped heading into draft week.