Wild won't re-sign Koivu for 2020-21 season

If Mikko Koivu plays next season, it will be for a team other than the Minnesota Wild for the first time in his career, as the club announced Friday it will not sign the veteran forward to a contract for 2020-21.

The 37-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Koivu has spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Wild. He became their first full-time captain in 2009 and has been the sole player to wear the "C" for Minnesota during the last 11 campaigns.

The Finnish center is the Wild's all-time leader in points, assists, and games played. He ranks second on the club's all-time goals list and became the first Wild player ever to suit up for all 1,000 of his games with the club when he hit that milestone in December 2019.

Koivu registered only four goals and 21 points in 55 games this season while logging his lowest average ice time (15:34) since his 2005-06 rookie campaign. However, he did win 53.1% of his faceoffs in 2019-20 and owns a career mark of 54.2%.

Minnesota drafted him sixth overall in 2001.

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