Caps Get Cooke For Pettinger

Per TSN, the Caps have sent Matt Pettinger home to Vancouver for winger Matt Cooke.

Cooke has seven goals, nine assists on the season. Per his scouting report, Cooke "can easily get opponents off their game," is "a fairly quick skater [who] defends his own end effectively and is an oustanding penalty-killer," but "despite his dedication, he doesn't have the size or skill to be a major scorer," "can ill-afford to take any shifts off," and "is somewhat injury-prone."

For all of his defensive responsibility, however, Cooke had Vancouver's fourth-worst plus/minus at minus-four before being traded.

Like Fedorov and Huet, Cooke is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

What They're Saying:

"Cooke is a gritty winger whose bang and crash style made him popular with Canucks fans, but with younger and affordable Canucks now stepping up and filling that role he wasn’t expected to be re-signed by Vancouver." - Spector

"The Capitals are determined to make the playoffs. Cooke is an agitator in the mold of Sean Avery or Jarkko Ruutu. He should bring an edge to Washington's game. - Empty Netters