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Ponikarovsky jumps to KHL, signs two-year deal with SKA

Devils Lightning Hockey

New Jersey Devils left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky (12) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, March 29, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

Ilya Kovalchuk will have familiar company joining him in Russia.

Igor Eronko reports Devils forward Alexei Ponikarovsky has signed a two-year deal in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. There he’ll team up with Kovalchuk and aim to win the Gagarin Cup to make up for the Stanley Cup they couldn’t win in 2012 with New Jersey.

Since being traded by Toronto in the 2009-10 season, Ponikarovsky’s career has seen him bounce to five different teams (Pittsburgh, Carolina, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Winnipeg) and two different tours with the Devils. In those three seasons he’s scored a total of 25 goals, the kinds of numbers he used to put up in a single season with the Leafs.

Now that he’s off to Russia, it gives him a chance to find a spark in his game yet again. After hopping from team to team here, this move may actually be for the best.