The Penguins traded their No. 2 scorer, veteran right winger Mark Recchi, to Carolina for two players and a draft choice this afternoon.

The Penguins get winger Niklas Nordgren, forward Krystofer Kolanos and a second-round choice in the 2007 entry draft.

After dealing Recchi, Penguins general manager Craig Patrick dealt away defensemen Ric Jackman and Cory Cross.

Jackman went to Florida for Czech center Petr Taticek, the ninth player taken in the 2002 entry draft. Taticek, 22, is 6-feet-2, 183 pounds, and has nine goals and 21 assists in 44 games with Houston of the American Hockey League this season.

Jackman has six goals and 22 assists in 49 games and spent most of this season out of favor with Penguins coaches.

Cross went to Detroit for a fourth-round draft choice in 2007. Cross, acquired from Edmonton in the Dick Tarnstrom trade in late January, had one assist and six penalty minutes in six games with the Penguins.

Recchi, 38, had been the team's most marketable commodity in the weeks leading up to today's trade deadline. He has 24 goals, 33 assists, 57 penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of minus-28 in 63 games.

It is not known if the Hurricanes intend to keep Recchi beyond this season. His contract features a two-way option for 2006-07: Carolina can keep him by paying him $2,280,000, and Recchi can invoke his option by agreeing to play for $760,000. If neither side exercises its option, Recchi will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and conceivably could return to the Penguins.

Nordgren has four goals and two assists in 43 games with the Hurricanes this season. He had a strong season in Sweden last year and -- a propensity for taking bad penalties aside -- lately had been challenging for a place on one of Carolina's top three lines.

In 2005-06, Kolanos had two goals and an assist in nine games with Edmonton, one assist in three games with San Antonio of the American Hockey League and 10 goals, 11 assists in 19 games with Lowell of the AHL.

A few hours before trading Recchi, the Penguins claimed forward Andy Hilbert off waivers from Chicago. Hilbert, who is 5-feet-11 and 198 pounds, had five goals and four assists in 28 games with the Blackhawks, who got him from Boston for a fifth-round draft choice on Nov. 6. Hilbert was the Bruins' second-round draft choice in 2000.

He has eight goals and seven assists in 66 career NHL games and has not scored a goal in his past 15. His most recent came against the Penguins at the United Center Jan. 13.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.