The basics: Koivu doesn't necessarily need an introduction to longtime hockey fans, who have watched him grow from a highly touted youngster into the captain and face of the Wild over a decade and a half. His 205 goals and 709 points in 1,028 games over 15 seasons include a career-high 22 goals in 2009-10, a career-best 67 points the year prior, and a consistent average of a 15-38-53 line in 12 seasons from 2007-18. Now 37, Koivu has seen his scoring output drop in the past two seasons (in part because of a torn ACL in 2019), averaging six goals and 25 points in 52 games per campaign, but he remains a solid bottom-six center option even given his age.
Digging deeper: Koivu won't necessarily be counted on for offense, though. Sure, he's still been able to put points on the board -- even the past two seasons, he's averaged 40 points per 82 games, helped in part by being on the Wild's power-play units -- but he's also remained one of the best defensive centers in the game, as he's been throughout his career. Seven times, Koivu has finished in the top 25 of the voting for the Selke Award, which goes to the league's best defensive forward. This past season, the Wild allowed 1.99 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 when Koivu was on the ice, a mark that placed 48th of 371 NHL forwards who played at least 400 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick. In addition, Koivu remains a monster at the faceoff dot, with a career win percentage of 54.2 and a 53.1-percent winning record a season ago.
A hockey family:The Koivu name is certainly familiar to the hockey world, and not just at the NHL level. In addition to Mikko, his brother Saku was a longtime NHLer as well, as the elder Koivu brother spent 18 years in the league from 1999-2014. Thirteen of those seasons were in Montreal, where Saku is a legendary figure and spent nine years as captain, while the last five were in Anaheim, and all told Saku played 1,124 games and finished with 255 goals and 832 points. Meanwhile, their father Jukka was a longtime player and coach in Finland as well, at one point serving as the head coach of TPS in the family's home city of Turku.
Hates to lose: If you start looking for information on Koivu, one phrase populates many of the articles written about the longtime Wild captain -- he hates to lose. According to a story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune written in 2015, former Wild player Stephane Veilleux once visited Koivu in Finland and made the mistake of beating his teammate in a game of badminton. "I beat him in badminton, and he didn't talk to me the entire ride back to his house. Here I am, a visitor for like seven days, and he wouldn't talk to me. It was awkward,"
Veilleux told writer Michael Russo
. "It's a good thing it was only a 15-minute ride." That same outlook translates to the ice, even though Koivu is also known for having strong relationships with teammates throughout his career in Minnesota.
How he fits:Koivu appears to be acquired to help add to the team's depth up the middle, which has already been strengthened by the offseason acquisition of Max Domi. Columbus now has plenty of options up the middle, with Pierre-Luc Dubois -- who remains a restricted free agent and in negotiations with Columbus -- set to be followed up by Domi and likely Koivu. Boone Jenner, who has played center each of the past two seasons, could return to wing or stay at center if need be, while Riley Nash -- last year's No. 4 center -- likely will remain in a checking role at the pivot. Youngsters Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy as well as new signee Mikhail Grigorenko also can play down the middle. As for Koivu specifically, he will likely be counted on to be a shutdown pivot, chip in offense where he can and play special teams if need be.
