Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexei Ponikarovsky has a lot to prove this year. Last season, his lone year with the Los Angeles Kings, was absolutely abysmal compared to normal Ponikarovsky-standards. After five straight seasons of posting double-digits in the goal column, including four in which he surpassed the 20-mark, Alexei dropped to an embarrassing mere 5-goals in 61-games last season.
Was it an off-year for the 6-foot, 4-inch Ukrainian power-forward? Arguably so. But the concern comes from the fact that not only did Ponikarovsky not live up to expectations in Los Angeles after signing a one-year $3-million contract with a $200,000 signing bonus, but Alexei is also getting older now. At 31-years of age, Ponikarovsky is moving out of his prime and with such a drop stastically as he had last year, some will be wondering whether "Poni" is able to rebound from such an poor year.
Ponikarovsky will have every opportunity in Carolina to prove that last season was a fluke and that he still possesses a scoring-touch and the ability to be an effective top-six forward offensively. With the Hurricanes he will be surrounded by plenty of offensive talent which should only help to bolster his abilities as well. With such starstudded forwards as Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, Brandon Sutter and exciting Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner, Alexei will not likely be a primary focus of the opposition. With more focus by opposing teams on the rest of the Hurricanes star players, Ponikarovsky should be able to get the opportunities he needs to produce and put the puck into the net.
If Ponikarovsky can rebound and regain his knack for scoring 20-plus goals every year, then the Hurricanes have only further added to their offensive fire-power. At $1.5-million for one-year, that may in fact be considered a bargain depending upon how Ponikarovsky performs. Regardless, being back in the Eastern Conference and with a new team will give Alexei a fresh start that he may really need. 
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