Koivu was heading into the final year of his seven-year contract that carries a $6.75M cap-hit, but the Wild inked the 34-year-old to a deal that will take him through the 2019-20 season. The Wild captain had 18 goals and 40 assists (58 points) in 80 games last season and is tied for 30th in the NHL in assists (113) and tied for 45th in points (162) while only missing four games over the last three seasons.
Koivu was scratched prior to Sunday’s game vs. the Predators and is listed as day-to-day. Koivu has had a nice season, picking up 13 goals and 20 assists (33 points) in 45 games this season. Monitor his status prior to Tuesday’s game in Dallas.
Koivu was hospitalized during Tuesday’s game in Columbus, but was released later that night. Less than 48 hours after being hospitalized, Koivu was on the ice for the Wild’s morning skate and will be in the lineup vs. the Flyers. Koivu has just two goals and one assist in his last eight games.
Koivu missed Saturday’s game against the Red Wings, but he is expected to be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Jets. Koviu has been hot recently, scoring four goals and two assists in his last six games.
Koivu left practice early on Wednesday with a “minor injury” but it will not keep him out of tonight’s game vs. Chicago. He has one goal and three assists in his last four games.
Koivu left briefly but returned to practice, so expect him to be in the lineup on Thursday. Monitor his status tomorrow just to be sure.
Koivu missed practice today with what head coach Mike Yeo called a “minor muscle strain”. The Wild have the weekend off, so he won’t miss any action over the next two days and is expected to be back at practice on Monday.
Koivu missed the Wild’s practice on Friday, but was back on the ice for the morning skate on Saturday and is expected to be in the lineup vs. Tampa Bay. He will centre the second line with Nino Niederreiter and Justin Fontaine.
The Wild are in Tampa Bay on Saturday so monitor Koivu’s status during tomorrow’s morning skate. Should he skate, he will likely be available for head coach Mike Yeo. Koivu has struggled in the first quarter of the season, posting just five points (2G / 3A) in 18 games.
"[I'm] very excited. It's been a long wait. Little nervous," said Koivu about returning tonight after missing 17 games with a broken ankle. Koivu will make his return on the second line with Charlie Coyle and Dany Heatley on his wings. Koivu has eight goals and 27 assists (35 points) in 44 games this season. His return helps solidify the Wild's front-end.
Koivu was reportedly close to playing this week, but never ended up playing. Skating on a regular line this morning suggests that Koivu will be back in the lineup on Monday night vs. Calgary.
Koivu will miss his 17th straight game tonight. "Wait another day and get a good team practice on Sunda and then look at it again [for Calgary on Monday]," Koivu said. "It's getting better and it's pretty much the same story it's been this whole week. It's slowly getting there and getting more comfortable on skates, but it's still not quite where I want to be, especially battles and things like that.
It is possible that the WIld simply do not want Koivu playing in a back-to-back situation after missing nearly two months. Monitor his status prior to Friday's clash with the Canucks.
Koivu has been sidelined since January 4, but has progressed well towards a possible return on Thursday. Wild head coach Mike Yeo said they will not know whether or not Koivu will play until following Thursday's morning skate.
Monday was the first time Koivu participated in all of the team's practice drills since his ankle surgery on Jan. 6; he said the hour-long skate was the longest he's been on the ice since the surgery. Koivu again declined to provide a timeline for his injury, but he said his ankle has improved each day since the Olympic break began. "We've made some progress," coach Mike Yeo said of Koivu. "The goal when I talked to him was let's just keep pushing it and doing what we can in practice and see how far we can come in the next couple of days."
The Wild captain, who was expected to captain Finland underwent surgery on a broken ankle Jan. 6 after being hit by a dump-in off the stick of Washington's Nicklas Backstrom two days before. The normal course of recovery for this type of injury is six to eight weeks. Koivu underwent surgery in an attempt to accelerate his return to the Wild lineup. Monday will be five weeks from surgery. Team Finland also lost Valteri Filppula today, so they will announce two replacements shortly.