Battalion Breakdown: Looking at Mikko Koivu's season

Battalion Breakdown is a closer look at the Blue Jackets' season on a player-by-player basis. Well, we're done with that now, having completed our look at the CBJ players' performance in the 2019-20 season. But there are still breakdowns to be had -- today, BlueJackets.com continues the series by looking at new signee Mikko Koivu and what he brings to the table.

Number:9
Age:37
Birth date:March 12, 1983
Birthplace:Turku, Finland
Height, weight: 6-3, 213
Stats:55 GP, 4-17-21, 1.1 point shares, 54.23 xGF% at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick
Contract:Signed through 2020-21 season (One year remaining before UFA status)
It wasn't a huge surprise that the Blue Jackets were looking to improve their center depth.
What might have been a surprise is the way they went about doing it.
Koivu might not have been a name many had on their radar for the CBJ when free agency began, but perhaps it should have been. First, there's the obvious tie between Koivu and CBJ general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, as the two are each from among the most notable families in Finnish hockey and have known each other for many a year.
But in addition, Koivu was in some ways exactly what the Blue Jackets needed. While there was a lot of talk about adding skill on the wings when free agency opened, there also was a need to add a defensive-minded center, especially after the buyout of Alexander Wennberg.
Koivu seems like he'll seamlessly slot into the lineup as even though he's one of the oldest players in the league, he remains one of the top defensive pivots in the game. The deal also allows Boone Jenner to move back to the wing, where he can play with speed as one of the top forecheckers in the NHL, and altogether just allows the CBJ lineup to come together.
"I think we've always talked about getting stronger in the middle," Kekalainen said. "I think we've done that now in this offseason with Max Domi and Mikko Koivu. I think we're a very strong team down the middle right now with Pierre-Luc (Dubois), Max Domi, Mikko Koivu and Riley Nash, and we still have Boone Jenner who can play center, Alexandre Texier potentially at some point moving to center.
"I think this frees up Boone for the F1 as we call it, the forechecker, which is a strong part of his game. He doesn't have to worry about the defensive end so much now, getting back as the first guy into the defensive zone if he's going all-out in forechecking. I think that's one of the biggest strengths of Boone Jenner."
Entering the season:It was going to be interesting to see how Koivu performed a year ago with Minnesota after his 2018-19 season came to an end in February when he suffered a torn ACL. To that point, he had continued to be one of the top defensive forwards in the game while also continuing to chip in offensively, so the Wild was full of hope its captain would be back at the top of his game despite the surgery.
Season recap: It was a tale of two sides of the puck a season ago for Koivu.
First, he continued to be one of the top defensive centers in the game, as advanced stats showed someone who was able to help his team control possession and play. In particular, teams simply did not get to the scoring areas on the ice, as the Wild at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick had 61.5 percent of high-danger scoring chances with Koivu on the ice.
In fact, of the 334 NHL forwards to play at least 500 minutes at 5-on-5 a year ago, Koivu placed 42nd overall when it comes to expected goals allowed per 60 at 1.99. In addition opposing teams had just 7.52 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes when Koivu was on the ice, placing him seventh among those 334 forwards in preventing those shots from the net front.
On the other side of the ice, Koivu just wasn't able to contribute offensively as he had in past seasons though. He saw his point total crater, as Koivu went from 0.60 points per game in 2018-19 to 0.38 points per game a year ago. Koivu also finished with just four goals in 55 games, a career low.
Still, it's also worth pointing out he missed time with injury, and the underlying numbers showed someone who created more offense than he got credit for. And Koivu admitted that he wasn't quite at 100 percent when the season started, leaving him motivated to show he can still pitch in more offense than he showed a year ago.
"I talked to Mikko at length," Kekalainen said. "He's very hungry to prove he's still a good player in this league. He didn't have his best season last year. He had the knee injury the year before and that bothered him a little bit this year too and gave him a little bit of trouble compensating for the knee that had been injured. He's working extremely hard to get ready for this season with that hunger to prove that he's still a good player in this league."
Koivu also continued to be a part of the Wild's power play and penalty kill units, though after being one of the top PK men in the league for much of his career, he struggled a bit in that regard a season ago.

Top Moment

Koivu was celebrated in the State of Hockey on Dec. 1 when he became the first Wild player to skate in 1,000 games since the franchise's establishment in 2000. That wasn't all, though, as Koivu turned in a vintage performance that included an assist and then the shootout winner in Minnesota's 3-2 victory over Dallas. The assist gave him an even 700 points in a Wild sweater, by far a franchise record, all part of a historic night in downtown St. Paul.
Watch: Youtube Video

By the numbers

57: Over the course of his 15-year career, Koivu has averaged 16 goals and 57 points per 82 games. He has a 205-504-709 line in 1,028 games.
8: In eight of his 15 NHL seasons, Koivu has placed in the top 21 of the voting for the Selke Trophy, given to the league's best defensive forward each season.
54.2: Koivu has won 54.2 percent of faceoffs in his career and never finished below 50 percent in a season. He won 53.1 percent of draws a season ago.