Koivu trying to 'enjoy every minute' on ice for Wild entering Qualifiers

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mikko Koivu is grateful to be back on the ice with the Minnesota Wild preparing for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

The veteran forward is in the final season of a two-year contract and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, which was paused March 12, Koivu's 37th birthday, due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The pause forced Koivu to consider his future earlier than anticipated, but he said he doesn't plan to decide on it until the season is over.

"I think the unknown was kind of hard, and still, as they announced that we're coming back, still the unknown of how it's going to work out, how is everything going to go with the training camp and the travel and things like that," Koivu said Thursday. "I think it got easier once the camp actually started. Now we're actually here … it's been pretty good.

"... Once the games are done, we'll look at the future, and it's going to be totally up to mentally, physically how I feel. I'm trying to do the right thing in my mind about the future and things like that. For the final decision, I don't think it's the time to make that call as of right now."

Koivu, who is the fourth-longest tenured captain in the NHL, had 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 55 games, his fewest points since scoring 21 in 64 games as a rookie in 2005-06.

He attributed the dip in production to his lingering injury problems; he missed the final two months of the 2018-19 season because of surgery on his ACL and meniscus in his right knee, and this season he missed 12 games in December because of a groin injury.

"The first 20-30 games, with the knee, it was still bothering (me) and obviously after the games and things like that. That's part of the process," Koivu said. "Then I had the groin injury there in the middle of it, so I think just those two injuries, I didn't feel good about the last month there before we had the break and all that."

But Koivu spent the pause working out back home in Finland and said he entered training camp feeling pretty close to healthy.

"I think now, obviously it just being only a couple days here so far, I feel really good," he said. "I feel, I don't want to say 100% healthy, but there's no pain, nothing that will bother you playing the game, and you can enjoy it now. And that's a feeling you want to have."

Koivu's main focus now is on preparing to help Minnesota pick up where it left off before the pause. The Wild (35-27-7, .558 points percentage) were 8-4-0 in their final 12 games after Dean Evason replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach Feb. 14, and they will enter the Qualifiers as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. They will play the No. 7 seed, the Vancouver Canucks (36-27-6, .565), beginning Aug. 2 in one of four best-of-5 series that will be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Western hub city.

The winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the loser will have a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery, to be held Aug. 10.

"I'm just really trying to enjoy every minute of it on the ice, and the preparation part and, once we get to Edmonton, to start playing again," Koivu said. "I'm trying to take it as a new experience. … I think we all realize now that anything can happen, and so you just want to have fun with it."

Koivu, who was selected by Minnesota with the No. 6 pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, ranks first in Wild history in points (709), assists (504) and games played (1,028).

Evason said earlier this week that Koivu has meant "everything to this franchise," but that his work isn't done yet.

"He has been such a figure, just watching from afar for so many years of how he's led and led by example, and is still leading," Evason said. "There's a reason he's the captain of the team. You watch his work ethic out there, it's just absolutely awesome. … He doesn't let anybody off the hook. If you're going against him, you're going against a man that's competing every single second that he's on the ice, practice or games. So yeah, I'm excited obviously for everybody, but no question excited for Mikko going forward here."