Mikko Koivu's extraordinary career with the Minnesota Wild is over." data-reactid="23">ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mikko Koivu‘s extraordinary profession with the Minnesota Wild is over.
Normal supervisor Invoice Guerin mentioned Friday the workforce won’t resign the 37-year-old Finn, whose contract is expiring.
Koivu is the one full-time captain the membership has had – he was appointed in 2009 after the position was rotated month-to-month over the primary 9 years of the franchise. He’s the all-time Wild chief in video games, assists, factors and a number of other different classes,
Koivu returned from reconstructive proper knee surgical procedure for a 15th season and had 4 objectives and 17 assists in 55 video games whereas taking part in totally on the fourth line.
”His arduous work, dedication and team-first mentality shall be extraordinarily troublesome to exchange in our lineup,’ Guerin mentioned. ”Off the ice, Mikko’s affect within the State of Hockey was immeasurable as he went out of his method to make a constructive affect on so many individuals in our neighborhood, together with his charitable contributions to Kids’s Minnesota.”
Koivu was drafted sixth general in 2001 and made his NHL debut on Nov. 11, 2005. He’s the primary participant to play all 1,000 NHL video games with Minnesota.
Earlier this month, the Wild acquired middle Nick Bjugstad from Pittsburgh for a conditional choice within the 2021 draft. The 28-year-old Bjugstad, who has 97 objectives, 110 assists and 681 hits in 439 profession NHL video games, shall be requested to fill the position of a checking middle.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Bjugstad will enter the ultimate yr of the six-year, $24.6 million contract extension he signed with the Florida Panthers, who drafted him with the 19th general decide in 2010. Bjugstad had a career-best 49 factors in 82 video games with the Panthers in 2017-18, the one NHL season through which he has not missed any time.
