Wild waive veteran forward Cooke

Published Jun. 18, 2015 6:15 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Wild likely are facing some tough decisions this offseason as they look to address their roster.

The first of those decisions came Thursday as the team waived Matt Cooke for the purpose of releasing the veteran forward. Cooke, 36, was limited to 29 games last season as he underwent sports hernia surgery. He had four goals, six assists and 13 penalty minutes. He played in seven playoff games with two assists.

If Cooke clears waivers, Minnesota announced it will buy out the final year of his contract.

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

Cooke signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2013 and had 14 goals and 24 assists in 111 games for the Wild. 

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