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Can Mikko Koivu be a Selke Trophy winner? Coach Mike Yeo thinks so

Toronto Maple Leafs v Minnesota Wild

ST PAUL, MN - MARCH 22: Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Xcel Energy Center on March 22, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Mikko Koivu is the face and leader of the Minnesota Wild. He might not be a household name in the NHL, but he’s a guy that’s always been steady throughout his career with the Wild and thanks to that he’s become the captain of the team.

One of his major strengths is how he plays defensively and in Minnesota, strong defense is something they strive for. Koivu is perhaps the Wild’s top defensive forward and guy most responsible for shutting down opposing centers. In short, the Wild would be in trouble without him in the lineup.

New Wild coach Mike Yeo knows he has someone special in Koivu, and he’s got high hopes for the Finnish center this season including taking home a piece of hardware that has some lofty company. The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo shares how Mike Yeo thinks Koivu can win the Selke Trophy.

“I have very, very high hopes for Mikko,” first-year coach Mike Yeo said. “I’m not going to say he’s going to get 125 points next year, but I know one thing, he’s going to have a great chance to succeed with the players he’s going to have around him.

“One thing I already started talking to Mikko about is I’m going to push for that guy to win the Selke Trophy [NHL’s best defensive forward]. I don’t know if he’s going to win the Hart [MVP] next year, but I believe he can win the Selke. In order to do that, you have to get a lot of points, but you also have to be great defensively.”


Playing solid defense has never been an issue for Koivu. Racking up the big time points to get noticed has been. With the additions of Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley, things could be about to change for Koivu and the Wild.

That said, looking to get mixed into the Selke race is asking a lot. With perennial favorites to win like Pavel Datsyuk and Ryan Kesler in there to dominate the discussion, it’s tough to weave your way into that discussion. It’s made even harder when those two players are on teams that get a ton of media exposure. Of course, if the Wild can win a lot of games and get to the top of the Western Conference somehow, Koivu can force his way into the discussion.

Mike Yeo would love to just see that happen.