Ponikarovsky back next week?

Alexei Ponikarovsky (broken finger) and Willie Mitchell (broken wrist) were back on the ice today, toward the end of practice. By Mitchell’s own admission, Ponikarovsky is further along in his recovery — and that was expected, from the time both players were hurt — and today, Terry Murray said Ponikarovsky’s return is on the horizon. The initial target dates I heard were either Dec. 4 or Dec. 9. It won’t be Saturday, but given what Murray said today, it’s possible that Ponikarovsky might return for next Thursday’s game against Calgary.

MURRAY: “Things are moving in the right direction. He has made a lot of progress. I can’t put a time frame on it, quite honestly, but I will say that I’m hoping that, within a week, he’s able to get in the lineup and start to be a part of the team again.”

A subplot to the story would be the Kings’ possible acquisition of Marco Sturm. If that goes down, Sturm — who is in the final stages of recovery from offseason knee surgery — might also be in line to return sometime next week.