Mikko Koivu Injury Healed, Minnesota Wild Captain Activated From Injured Reserve

Mikko Koivu has been out of the Minnesota Wild lineup for quite awhile, but the team's captain is expected to return to action on Thursday night. The team's lone NHL All-Star selection missed a total of eight games.

Koivu is expected to be in the lineup when the Wild play the Vancouver Canucks, according to a report at 1500 ESPN.

Koivu, the Wild's captain, suffered a shoulder injury on Jan. 14 at St. Louis and missed eight games. Koivu, who was elected to the All-Star Game but could not play because of the injury, is second on the Wild with 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) and has a plus-9 rating in 41 games.

It'll be interesting to see whether he's effective in the game considering he sat out for nearly an entire month, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem considering he's been skating for about a week as he got closer to returning.

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Mikko Koivu Injury: Center Not Expected To Be Ready For Dallas On Saturday

Though Mikko Koivu has returned to practice, just 17 days after separating his left shoulder, it could still be some time before he's back in the lineup. Koivu has already been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche, but he's ahead of the four-week recovery window that was previously discussed. Now, head coach Mike Yeo has said that he's not expecting Koivu to against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Minnesota's next game after Colorado, according to Michael Russo on Twitter.

There is currently no target date for Koivu to return, but he is traveling with the team on their current three-game road trip, so that at least means that there is a possibility of him being in the lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Koivu returned to practice on Tuesday, participating in the morning skate, and spending time working with Kirk Olson, the team's strength and conditioning coach. Koivu fired a lot of pucks at the net, and looked good with his stick-handling. He is clearly ahead of schedule at this point.

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Mikko Koivu Injury: Minnesota Wild Captain Close To Returning

Mikko Koivu has been out of the Minnesota Wild lineup for quite awhile due to injury, but the forward is apparently scheduled to return in the near future. The Wild captain was the only player voted into the NHL All-Star game before rookie Nick Johnson made it as a replacement.

The Wild announced on their website that Koivu practiced Tuesday morning, along with fellow injured player Gullaume Latendresse, meaning he's likely close to returning to the active roster.

They won't play tonight, but Guillaume Latendresse and Mikko Koivu both skated on their own again this morning, and both took part in the Wild's morning skate as well. At the end of the skate, both were put through some heavy skating drills, indicating that their returns are nearing.

There isn't a timetable for either player, but Head Coach Mike Yeo said that, barring any setbacks, they will probably be on the team's flight to Denver tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, the Wild will play the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

For more on the Minnesota Wild, check out Hockey Wilderness. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.

NHL All-Star Weekend: Minnesota Wild Will Be Represented By Nick Johnson, Not Mikko Koivu

The 2012 NHL All-Star weekend is rapidly approaching and, although it looked like the Minnesota Wild were going to be shut out of the event, that's no longer the case. Mikko Koivu won't be attending as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury, but rookie Nick Johnson has been selected to represent the Wild this weekend in Ottawa.

Johnson, a rookie this season, is replacing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the rookie in the All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday. If anyone's unfamiliar with what that consists of, Johnson will be competing in the following competitions: Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, Hardest Shot and the Elimination Shootout

."We're real happy for him," Head Coach Mike Yeo said on the team's website. "It's quite an honor, and I'm sure he's pretty excited about it. We're excited for him. I don't know if he would have expected, necessarily, that at this time of the year he'd be playing on the first line and going to the all star game, but it's a real credit to him."

For more on the Minnesota Wild, check out Hockey Wilderness. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.

Mikko Koivu Injury: Wild All-Star Considered Week-To-Week

Mikko Koivu was elected to the NHL All-Star game earlier this month, but the forward for the Minnesota Wild doesn't look like he'll be playing in that game. There is a chance that he could be back within a week, however, according to head coach Mike Yeo.

Yeo and Koivu both talked to 1500 ESPN's Judd Zulgad on Monday as they updated the prognosis for the "upper-body injury."

"We're going to call him week-to-week right now," coach Mike Yeo said before the Wild departed for Tuesday night's game in Philadelphia. "It's probably unlikely that we'll have him before the All-Star break but we'll see."

Koivu was injured in the first period of the Wild's 3-2 shootout loss at St. Louis on Saturday night and reportedly left the arena with his left shoulder in a sling.

"It's pretty frustrating right now," said Koivu, who lead the Wild with 33 points on nine goals and 24 assists in 41 games. "I had a minor (leg) injury there before Christmas and I just get back at it and starting to feel good again and then another injury."

The Wild are currently missing three players on the team's top two lines as Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard are both sidelined with concussions.

For more on the Minnesota Wild, check out Hockey Wilderness. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.

Mikko Koivu Injury: Wild Captain Could Miss More Than A Month

The news about Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu is not good. Koivu suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday night's shootout loss tot he St. louis Blues, and it is an injury that could be very costly. The Star Tribune is reporting that Koivu could miss a month or more of the season after being evaluated on Sunday:

The injury will cause Koivu to miss this month's All-Star Game, but he is expected to travel with the Wild during its upcoming father-son trip to Philadelphia and Toronto because his father, Jukka, is scheduled to meet the team in Philadelphia.

With the Wild down to no extra forwards and already without injured second-line wingers Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, it will have to make a roster move Monday.

Details about the shoulder injury have not yet been released, but it is clear that Koivu will miss at least a month. He left St. Louis' Scottrade Center with his shoulder in a sling Saturday night.

For more on the Minnesota Wild, check out Hockey Wilderness. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.

Mikko Koivu Injury: Minnesota Wild Captain Injured In Shootout Loss Vs. St. Louis

Minnesota Wild lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, but their biggest loss dealt with their captain Mikko Koivu, who had to leave the game due to injury [Star Tribune]:

The Wild captain suffered what the team would only call an "upper body" injury 7 1/2 minutes into the Wild's 3-2 shootout loss Saturday night to the big, bad St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.

Coach Mike Yeo offered no specifics regarding Koivu's injury, waiting for a diagnosis from team doctors in Minnesota. Named to his first All-Star Game on Thursday, Koivu was hurt in the corner of the Blues' end when checked by forward Vladimir Sobotka.

He immediately turned and headed to the bench, cradling his left arm like he had a shoulder injury.

Koivu has 33 points in 41 games this season and was just named to his first All-Star game on Thursday.