PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins just want Jussi Jokinen to be himself, even if the veteran forward will be filling Sidney Crosby’s spot for the time being.

The Penguins acquired Jokinen from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional draft pick, a move necessitated by the broken jaw sustained by Crosby over the weekend that will keep the league’s leading scorer out indefinitely.

The 30-year-old Jokinen has 121 goals and 225 assists in his eight-year career, including six goals and five assists this season with Carolina.

Jokinen is the fourth player picked up by the Penguins before the trade deadline. Pittsburgh added forwards Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow as well as defenseman Doug Murray last week. General manager Ray Shero thought his shopping spree was over until Crosby took a puck off the face in the first period of a win over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Crosby underwent surgery and spent a couple days in the hospital, forcing the Penguins to shuffle their lineups. Coach Dan Bylsma inserted Tyler Kennedy into Crosby’s spot on the first line against Buffalo on Tuesday. The Penguins lost 4-1 to the Sabres, halting their 15-game winning streak.

Bylsma plans to move Jokinen to the center spot between wingers Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz.

“This is a particular case that without Sidney Crosby, for whatever period of time that is, you have a very good guy who has put up lots of points to fill in and to be a real good centerman for you on that line,” Bylsma said before the Penguins played the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

The move, just like the trades to get Iginla, Morrow and Murray, didn’t cost Pittsburgh much. The Hurricanes will receive either a sixth- or seventh-round pick from the Penguins and agreed to pay a portion of Jokinen’s salary.