Alexei Ponikarovsky gets a chance to do something most players who have just been traded don't. He will be scouting his new team for at least one game.

It's not that the left winger is injured or ill, and he certainly has no qualms about joining the Penguins -- "It's a great opportunity for me to bring my best game," Ponikarovsky said Wednesday.

It's just that he is at the mercy of U.S. Immigration. Ponikarovsky can't legally play with the Penguins against the Rangers tonight in New York. Ponikarovsky was acquired late Tuesday night from Toronto in a trade for prospect Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula.

Because he is shifting from a Canadian employer to a United States employer, he requires a P-1 work visa. The paperwork process should be aided by the fact that the native Ukrainian also has become a Canadian citizen.

"Hopefully, it's going to be done by Friday morning, so I can fly to Pittsburgh and practice that day," he said. "Now I have to do my scouting. I'm going to watch the game -- but I wouldn't mind to get right into it."

He might want to pay particular attention to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, because he can expect to jump onto a line with one of them after Penguins coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero described Ponikarovsky as "a top-six forward." Malkin likely is the better bet for starters, perhaps along with winger Ruslan Fedotenko.

"Everybody in the league knows Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby," Ponikarovsky said. "It's even hard to describe, the way they handle the puck, make some crazy moves, score some crazy goals. Sometimes, you think, 'How did they even think about that?' For me to be able to play with guys like that, it's a blast."

Ponikarovsky, who turns 30 next month, was part of the second trade in as many days for the Penguins. Monday, they brought in defenseman Jordan Leopold from Florida for a 2010 sixth-round draft pick. The only other move the team made by the 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline Wednesday was a minor one, picking up a sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft from Toronto for defenseman Chris Peluso, a prospect playing at Bemidji State.

"I think they're good additions," Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar said. "Ray [Shero] always does a good job for us at the deadline, picking up a couple of players for us."

Gonchar likened Ponikarovsky's skill set to that of former Penguins winger Ryan Malone. At 6 feet 4, 229 pounds, Ponikarovsky can be a handy and immovable object in front of the net, among other things.

"With that big body, he positions himself well in front of the net," Gonchar said. "He's got a good shot. He uses his body a lot in the corners. It's hard to play against him. Sometimes, people don't recognize how good a player is if he's playing on a bad team."

Ponikarovsky, with Toronto his entire pro career, had 19 goals, one away from his fourth 20-goal season, and 41 points in 61 games for a Maple Leafs team that is last in the Eastern Conference and hasn't made the playoffs since 2004.

Bylsma pointed out that if Ponikarovsky had those numbers with the Penguins, he would be third on the team in scoring behind Crosby and Malkin.

"You try to hit him, try to outmuscle him, it's pretty tough to go against him," said Fedotenko, who called his fellow Kiev native Wednesday morning to welcome him. The two were a year apart growing up but played against each other as youngsters.

One red mark on Ponikarovsky's resume is a reputation for disappearing for stretches. Bylsma and Shero said Ponikarovsky not only is responsible in his own end of the rink but also has shown no evidence of a dip in performance.

"Our pro scouts have watched him a lot," Bylsma said. "They're calling him a motivated player right now."

That could in part be because Ponikarovsky is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the better he plays, the more he would be worth. Bylsma figures joining the defending Stanley Cup champions and having the anticipation of making the playoffs should also keep Ponikarovsky's interest high.

Ponikarovsky is not sure he deserves that knock.

"It all depends on how people view it," he said. "I can assure that I'm always trying to put my best effort on the ice."

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