The New Jersey Devils announced earlier this evening that they have reacquired Alexei Ponikarovsky from the Winnipeg Jets for for a seventh round pick in 2013 and a fourth round pick in 2014. Ponikarovsky finished last season with New Jersey, before signing with Winnipeg over the summer. This will be the veteran forward's second stint with the club.
This season, Ponikarovsky has scored two goals in 12 games for the Jets. Last season, he had seven goals and 11 assists in 33 regular season games with the Devils last season after being acquired from Carolina. He also had 1 goal and 8 assists in the Devils playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring.
Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said the decision to trade for Ponikarovsky was related to the status of left wing Dainius Zubrus, who will have exploratory surgery on his wrist Thursday. Lamoriello said Zubrus could miss anywhere from two to eight weeks depending on what is found during the surgery.
The Devils will have to send down a player to make room for Ponikarovsky on the roster.
The Devils will next face off on Friday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Prudential Center and will likely have Ponikarovsky in the line-up, which should be a smooth transition since he played last season and is familiar with their system.
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