Mikko Koivu addresses his future after being let go by the Wild

After 14 years playing for the Minnesota Wild, Mikko Koivu will not be returning to the team he has captained for several seasons. However, Koivu is letting everyone know that he has no interest in retiring, despite being 37-years-old.

"“Bottom line, I want to play. My doors are open," Koivu told The Athletic while explaining that he will be taking phone calls when free agency opens on Monday.

All that remains to be seen is whether Koivu will get any acceptable offers once free agency opens. His play has definitely declined the last couple of seasons, but he can still provide great leadership for younger guys in a dressing room, which is always valuable. In 55 games in 2019-20, Koivu had four goals and 21 points.

Koivu was drafted sixth overall by Minnesota in 2001. He started playing for the team during the 2005-06 season, playing a total of 1028 regular season games for the Wild before the team made it clear recently that they would not be re-signing him now that his contract is up. Despite that, Koivu had nothing but good things to say about the team.

"Those are the times that I don't think you necessarily realize at the moment, but when you look back, how special it was to be the captain, to play in front of those fans in Minnesota,” Koivu said. “When you remember the moments, I think that's when you take pride as a hockey player that you got to be part of an organization like that. The fans, they're the ones that definitely make that feeling for you. It's something special in Minnesota and it takes a while to actually realize what hockey actually means for all the people there. It truly is a hockey state.”

Source: The Athletic

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