Koivu not ready to decide on future with Wild during pause

Mikko Koivu's future remains in limbo while the 2019-20 NHL season is paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

In the final year of his contract, the Minnesota Wild forward is trying to stay optimistic that the NHL will be able to resume this season and will wait until that outcome is determined before deciding whether he'll retire or continue playing next season. After 15 seasons with Minnesota, Koivu is keeping his options open, including playing again for the Wild, if they want him back, or returning to play in his native Finland.

Having his NHL career end without playing another game has crossed Koivu's mind.

"I don't think I have a clear answer for you on any of those," Koivu said Wednesday. "I think for myself I'm just kind of trying to stay in the moment as much as you can. If I said I hadn't thought about all the options, I would be lying to you. So I think obviously the main thing about a lot of things and a lot of the options is what the future will hold.

"But I think as of right now, I guess I'm in a boat like any player that you're just trying to kind of wait for the League to make the decision how we're going to start the season and when that would be."

Koivu, who scored 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 55 games this season, has been Wild captain since 2009. The No. 6 pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, he is Minnesota's all-time leader with 709 points, 504 assists and 1,028 regular-season games.

Koivu also has played in a Wild-record 55 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists). When the NHL paused the season March 12 -- Koivu's 37th birthday -- Minnesota (35-27-7) was one point behind the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

The Wild made a strong push under Dean Evason, who replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach on Feb. 14, going 8-4-0 in 12 games before the pause to build a confidence that they would not only qualify for the playoffs, but have a good chance to advance.

"We were feeling really good about our chances to get in," Koivu said. "I know everyone keeps saying that anything can happen once you get to the playoffs, but I think we have the experience from the last couple years that if you're healthy and you can play the kind of hockey that we did going into the playoffs, anything can happen. I think that's something we were looking forward [to]."

Koivu will have to wait to find out if he'll have another chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time. That will be another factor in his decision about his future, which is among the reasons he said he can't make it until he knows whether this season will be completed.

"I think when you come to this age, there's so much that goes into it that you've got to look at everything and every view, I guess," he said. "I've always said that to me or anybody you've got to enjoy the game, and I still do. But also physically you've got to be at the level that you want to be, and mentally that's probably the biggest part that you've got to be ready to do it.

"So, I think there's every single question that you can think of as a player you have to do it. …You kind of start to get the decision what's right, but I don't think the time is right now."

Koivu has remained in Minnesota with his family while waiting to see if the season will resume, and reiterated his preference to play his entire NHL career with the Wild. Bill Guerin, who is in his first season as the Wild general manager, said previously that any decision about re-signing Koivu or allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent would wait until after this season.

If Koivu wants to continue playing and the Wild choose not to re-sign him, playing in Finland is something he's considered.

"As long as you feel that you can still give something, either if it's playing and then later on coaching or being in management or whatever that is, I think I always, as of right now, want to stay involved with the game," he said. "Obviously, whatever the future will hold on that, I don't know that as of right now. But even playing, if you still feel that you have the fire and you have the motivation still to come back and play, yeah, for sure, I've thought about it. I'm sure, if you are from other countries and if you're from Europe or whatever, you think about it. So that is an option, for sure."