ATLANTA — The Atlanta Thrashers signed free agent forward Nik Antropov to a four-year, $16 million contract on Thursday, setting up a reunion with Ilya Kovalchuk.

The 29-year-old Antropov played with Kovalchuk in Russia during the NHL lockout. General Manager Don Waddell said Kovalchuk endorsed the signing with a text message saying “great job.”

Kovalchuk’s approval is important. The Thrashers’ captain and biggest star is entering his free-agent season, and has said he wants to see the team’s offseason moves before he talks about signing a new deal. Waddell said the Antropov signing should help the team re-sign Kovalchuk.

“Certainly, it’s going to help us through the process,” Waddell said. “Ilya wants to be part of a winning organization and this is a big step in the right direction.”

On Wednesday, Waddell acquired defenseman Pavel Kubina in a four-player deal with Toronto.

“I said we didn’t need a lot of pieces, we needed key pieces, and that’s what we’ve added,” Waddell said.

Antropov set a career high with 59 points and 28 goals with Toronto and the New York Rangers last season.