"The NHL trade deadline is still a month away, but the Carolina Hurricanes picked up a draft pick and cleared one of their expiring contracts off the books Friday night.

After a 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals, the Canes traded forward Alexei Ponikarovsky to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth-round draft pick in 2012 and minor-league defenseman Joe Sova.

Sova, 23, has split time between the AHL and ECHL this season. The Devils signed the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Illinois native as a free agent in 2011 after three years at Alaska-Fairbanks.

The Canes signed Ponikarovsky to a one-year, $1.5 million contract over the summer. He had seven goals and eight assists in 49 games for the Hurricanes.

He had one shot in 10 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time against the Capitals on Friday. The Hurricanes save $632,432, the remaining value on his contract."