The
New Jersey Devils have acquired forward
Alexei Ponikarovsky from the
Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for minor-league defenseman Joseph Sova and a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Ponikarovsky, 31, had seven goals and 15 points in 49 games for Carolina this season. He was scoreless in 15:20 of ice time in Carolina's 3-0 win against Washington on Friday. He's a four-time 20-goal scorer, most recently in 2009-10, and had five goals and 15 points with Los Angeles last season. He signed with Carolina this summer as a free agent.
In 603 regular-season games, Ponikarovsky has 128 goals, 296 points and 397 penalty minutes. He also has three goals and 10 points in 38 playoff games.
Sova, 23, signed with the Devils as a free agent last spring after three seasons at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He has split this season between Kalamazoo of the ECHL and the Devils' AHL team in Albany, where he had two goals and two assists in 13 games.