ST. PAUL — Wild captain Mikko Koivu is going to be out a little longer than expected.

After being listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury earlier this week, the Wild placed Koivu on injured reserve Friday, Dec. 6. He is required to sit out for a minimum of seven days from the date of the initial injury, which means he will be eligible to return to the lineup for Tuesday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Coincidentally, that’s the game in which Koivu is supposed to be honored for reaching 1,000 career games. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to suit up.

Likely the biggest reason Koivu was placed on injured reserve is so the Wild have some insurance heading into Saturday’s road game against the Carolina Hurricanes. They recalled center Nico Sturm from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League on Friday to serve as an extra forward. They also recently recalled Woodbury native Brennan Menell to serve as an extra defenseman.

While it’s still unclear whether Sturm will draw into the lineup, he made a good impression on coach Bruce Boudreau during training camp, and has 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 23 games in the minors.

A native of Augsburg, Germany, the 24-year-old Sturm was a coveted college free agent after an illustrious career at Clarkson University. He signed with the Wild on April 1 and made his NHL debut on April 4 against the Boston Bruins.

Greg Pateryn also was recalled from the minors and immediately placed on injured reserve. He has missed the entire season to this point after undergoing sports hernia surgery was was on a conditioning stint in the minors.