Mikko Koivu Will Not Play Thursday; Unsure About Olympics

Finland’s entry into the hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics is already missing one Koivu, now it looks more and more like they will have to go without both of them.

With Saku Koivu electing not to participate in the Olympics, Mikko Koivu was the the only one named to the team. However, with his injured ankle, doubt has crept up on Mikko’s participation in the Games.

Mikko has not been cleared to play in tomorrow’s game against the Nashville Predators. With so little time left between now and the Olympics, it seems unlikely that he will make the trip to Sochi.

Mikko was set to be a leader on the Finnish team. Now, they will have to replace the hole he leaves in the lineup, but it’s unlikely they will replace the leadership he would have provided. In the same group as Canada, losing Koivu will hurt their roster.

When it come’s the Wild, GM Chuck Fletcher had this to say.

"“Mikko’s doing everything he can to come back… It’s a six-to-eight-week injury that we’re trying to accelerate and have him come back in five, but not only is he not cleared to play right now, he’s not even cleared to practice with the team.“There’s a lot of healing and work that needs to be done to get him to that position. If we can get him there, great, but I think people need to understand how hard he’s working to get healthy and come back. But it is what it is. Your body’s only going to heal the way it’s going to heal. There’s no magic wand here. He’s skating on his own, but it’s a long way from skating on your own to playing in a high-end international Olympic game.”"

If Koivu misses the Olympics, Finland will be missing one heck of a player. However, if he were to aggravate the injury, it could be much worse for the Wild.