This is the same horseshit that was going around last year with Kovy. Now everyone can't say enough about him. Koivu has been great for so many years for this team.
He has been slow this year. Who knows maybe his wife is having an affair, maybe he's hurt or aching all of the time. I don't know. It definitely doesn't help that Ryder and Higgins disappeared too this year. This is the first year since Koivu was made Captain, that if he plays poorly, the team can still win.
He was the backbone of the team for 10 years. You may argue that it wasn't much of a team, so the backbone need not be that strong to hold it up, but that isn't his fault. I hope that Gainey brings in a Canadian winger and sets up a co-captaincy like Buffalo last year, so some of the pressure is deflected from Saks.
That said, he appears to be getting shifty again and using his quickness to his benefit, so hopefully there will be a payoff on the scoresheet. The reason I wonder if he isn't hurt is that he doesn't seem to take the hit to make the play like he used to.