George McPhee Wheeling and Dealing at Busy NHL Trade Deadline

In addition to the acquisition of Scott Walker from the Carolina Hurricanes, GM George McPhee was a busy, busy guy orchestrating three other trades for the Washington Capitals. Hurricane's defenseman Joe Corvo will join his Canes mate on the Capitals bench, along with another friendly familiar face, Milan Jurcina of the Blue Jackets (for all of a few months). HM is sure the guys are thrilled to have the big guy affectionately known as "Juice" back in the fold, but many fans are scratching their heads on this particular deal. The Capitals also added another forward in the way of Eric Berlanger (not to be confused with the French model Eric Berlanger) of the Minnesota Wild. Lots of Caps' lady fans, myself included, got a little excited today researching photos of the hockey Berlanger when the images of the scantily clad model Berlanger appeared (P.S. someone tell my boys there's no blog post today, will ya?).

So once again. George McPhee was the master of disguise and was one of the most active GMs in the league today. Three of the trades were done in exchange for future draft picks but the one casualty was the Corvo deal, which sends Brian Pothier to Carolina. Pothier is a total class act and I know he'll be missed by fans and players alike - we wish him the best.

Here's a bit on the other new faces (with the exception of Jurcina as he's kind of an old face) from the team's press releases:

Capitals Acquire Defenseman Joe Corvo from Carolina

Washington sends Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala and second-round pick in 2011 to Hurricanes


ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired defenseman Joe Corvo from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Brian Pothier, forward Oskar Osala and a second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.


Corvo (KORE-voh), 32, is in his eighth NHL season and his third with Carolina. The 6’0”, 204-pound native of Oak Park, Ill., has four goals, eight assists and only 12 penalty minutes in 34 games for the Hurricanes this year. Corvo was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round with the 83rd overall pick in the 1997 NHL Draft. He has played in 468 career NHL games with Los Angeles, Ottawa and Carolina and has recorded 66 goals and 146 assists.

Corvo previously played for Washington coach Bruce Boudreau when both were with the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters (2000-01) and the Manchester Monarchs (2001-03). He had 31 goals and 78 assists in 183 games under Boudreau.

Pothier (POH-thee-uhr), 32, is a 10-year pro who has spent the last four seasons with the Capitals. The New Bedford., Mass., native had four goals and seven assists in 41 games with the Capitals this season.

Osala (OH-sah-lah), 22, was Washington’s fourth-round selection, 97th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent most of the past two seasons with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, appearing in two games for the Capitals last season. He has 15 goals and 14 assists in 53 games for the Bears this season.

Capitals Acquire Center Eric Belanger from Minnesota

Washington sends second-round pick in 2010 to Wild


ARLINGTON, Va. –The Washington Capitals have acquired center Eric Belanger from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.


Belanger, 32, is in his 10th NHL season and his third season with Minnesota. The 5’11”, 187-pound native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, has 13 goals and 22 assists in 60 games to rank fifth in scoring for the Wild. He also ranks seventh in the NHL with a 57.6 faceoff percentage. Belanger was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round with the 96th overall pick in the 1996 NHL Draft. He has played 617 career NHL games for Los Angeles, Carolina, Atlanta and Minnesota and has recorded 119 goals and 174 assists. Belanger has played in 30 NHL Stanley Cup playoff games, registering two goals and four assists.


Belanger previously played for Washington coach Bruce Boudreau when both were with the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters from 1999-2001. He had 23 goals and 35 assists in 78 games under Boudreau.

Eric Belanger
Position: Center
Birthday: Dec. 16, 1977 (Sherbrooke, Quebec)
Height: 5’11’’ Weight: 187 Shoots: Left
Acquired: From Minnesota in exchange for Washington’s second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft