Wild will not re-sign longtime captain Mikko Koivu

Mikko Koivu has played his last game in a Minnesota Wild sweater.

General manager Bill Guerin announced Friday that the Wild will not re-sign Koivu for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

The sixth overall pick by Minnesota in 2001, Koivu is the longest-tenured player in franchise history. He’s the Wild’s all-time leader in games (1,028), assists (504), points (709) and shots (2,270) and ranks second in goals (205). Koivu, who debuted in 2005, was named the franchise’s first full-time team captain in 2009 and wore the “C” for his final 11 seasons.

Koivu is a free agent after his two-year extension signed in 2017 expired following Minnesota’s loss to Vancouver in the 2019-20 postseason.

“His hard work, dedication and team-first mentality will be extremely difficult to replace in our lineup,” Guerin said in a statement. “Off the ice, Mikko’s impact in the State of Hockey was immeasurable as he went out of his way to make a positive impact on so many people in our community, including his charitable contributions to Children’s Minnesota.”

The announcement continues a busy offseason for Guerin, who signed defenseman Jonas Brodin to a seven-year deal worth $42 million on Tuesday. Minnesota also traded veteran forward Eric Staal to Buffalo for Marcus Johansson and acquired forward Nick Bjugstad from Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional 2021 draft pick.