Koivu > Toews?

I thought you might be interested in reading this. For comparison sake Jonathan Toews NHL totals are (222 games 83 goals 108 assists 191 points) and Mikko Koivu (NHL totals 362 games 79 goals 176 assist 255 points). So if you break this down further, Jonathan Toews 22 has scored 191 points in 222 games in three NHL seasons, that means he scores in 8 out of 10 games he plays in. On the other side of the coin the older Mikko Koivu 27 has scored 255 points in 362 games in five NHL seasons, which means that Koivu has actually only scored in 7 out of 10 games that he plays in.

Yes, Koivu has a larger cap hit than Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Backstrom, Jonathan Toews and Henrik Sedin. Yes, his stats may not necessarily define him as a “superstar” type player but, then again, neither have Toews’.

In fact, Koivu has put up better numbers than Toews over the last few seasons with less talent surrounding him—something that likely was at the forefront of these discussions when comparables were involved.

What Koivu brings to the squad, however, is so much more than just numbers-based value.

The fact of the matter is that the Wild would be lost without their captain. Koivu is the cornerstone of their team at even strength, on the penalty kill and on the powerplay.

The Wild’s offense not only runs through Koivu, but their forecheck and backcheck does as well.[Wild Nation]

While I am a Wild fan I think that Jonathan Toews has a bigger upside than Koivu. If I was the general manager of the Minnesota Wild and had a chance to either have Koivu or Toews on my team I would take the younger Toews.