Staying or going: Matt Cooke

In our look at the Caps' UFAs and RFAs, let's start with agitator and forechecker extraordinaire, Matt Cooke.

Cooke's speed, ability to hit, and get under the other team's skin played okay in the Caps' system, not setting the world on fire, but wasn't as big a force as some had thought. On paper, his style fits into Coach Bruce Boudreau's aggressive forechecking system, but on the ice it was a mild, not a major, success.

Stay or go, the Pettinger-for-Cooke deal was a good one for Washington, as they got out of the final year of struggling Pettinger's contract, and Cooke is a UFA.

What really makes this decision, it seems, is the Caps' 3 year commitment to Matt Bradley. There probably isn't room on the team or the payroll for two similar players at a similar price, though I wouldn't be surprised if Cooke will get more than a million on the open market.

DH's WAG: Cooke moves on.