Devils Trade for Winger Alexei Ponikarovsky
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Lance Thomson/NHLI via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Alexei Ponikarovsky is back with the New Jersey Devils.
The Winnipeg Jets sent the 32-year-old winger to the Devils Wednesday, for a seventh-round-pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and a fourth round pick in 2014.
Devils winger Dainius Zubrus will have wrist surgery Thursday, an event that helped persuade the Devils to make the deal.
“There’s no question that that played a factor in doing something aggressively at this time,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “Zubrus will be going for exploratory surgery on his wrist. We don’t know what the results will be. It could be anywhere from two to eight weeks and that we won’t know until the next 48 hours.”
Ponikarovsky was traded to the Devils in January of last season but signed with Winnipeg in the summer. In 33 regular-season games with the Devils last year, he had seven goals and 11 assists. He also had nine points in 24 playoff games helping New Jersey reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ponikarovsky has two goals in 12 games this season.
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