Caps land Corvo from 'Canes

The Washington Capitals added speed and offense to their defense Wednesday, acquiring defenseman Joe Corvo for Brian Pothier and minor-league forward Oskar Osala.

Corvo has just 12 points in 34 games this season, but the offensive-minded blueliner has had at least 20 points in each of the last five seasons. He missed two months earlier this season when a skate cut his calf muscle.

"Corvo was the top defenseman available in our minds and we got him," said Capitals GM George McPhee. "He plays a lot and in both ends of the rink. He defends well and kills and spends time on the penalty kill. He can also generate offense, which is the type of defenseman we like. He's averages more time on the ice than Mike Green. He's the one guy we liked a lot and we got him, so I'm happy with the results.''

Coach Bruce Boudreau also was happy with the move.

"In the end, when you look we've added more speed to an already not bad offensive team," he said. "Corvo is one of the higher-scoring defensemen in the League when he's healthy. He'll add to the power play. He played a lot of minutes in Carolina and they went to the semifinals last year."

Earlier in the day, the Caps acquired forward Scott Walker from the Hurricanes.

To get Corvo, the Caps had to surrender Pothier, who had 11 points and a plus-12 rating in 41 games. But to get Corvo, McPhee said it was a price he could afford to pay.

"Brian Pothier is a real quality guy, and he was great for us in the locker room and did a real nice job on the ice, and we'd do that signing again if we were presented the opportunity," said McPhee. "But we thought Corvo was something that would be a little bit better for us, so that's why we made that move."

Also going to Carolina is Osala. The 2006 fourth-round pick had 15 goals and 29 points in 53 games with the club's AHL team, the Hershey Bears. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound left wing went scoreless in two games with the Capitals last season.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected].