Talk about a strong finishing kick. The Canes' turned what appeared to be a fairly quiet trade deadline day into a bang-up, wholesale lineup change with a late rush.

Defenseman Aaron Ward and Scott Walker were traded just after noon. About three hours later, just before the NHL's 3 p.m. deadline, the Canes dealt defenseman Joe Corvo to the Washington Capitals for defenseman Brian Pothier, Finnish forward Oskar Osala and a second-round pick.

Defenseman Andrew Alberts was sent to the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round pick, and forward Stephane Yelle to the Colorado Avalanche.

Through the first three Group A practices, Canes coach Paul Maurice has been consistent with the lines he's used.

Eric Staal has centered Tuomo Ruutu and Erik Cole. Matt Cullen has centered Chad LaRose and Ray Whitney, and Rod Brind'Amour has been the center with wingers Scott Walker and Sergei Samsonov.

The fourth line: Stephane Yelle at center, with Tim Conboy and Tom Kostopoulos on the wings.

How much to read into it?

"A potential starting point is what it is," Maurice said today.

Stephane Yelle spent a lot of time with Aaron Ward last year in Boston, living in the same building and hearing a lot of Ward's many stories as they played for the Bruins.

Among them: stories about Ward's days playing for the Carolina Hurricanes, about living in the Raleigh area.

"He always talked about how much he liked the organization, liked living there," Yelle said. "He said it was a beautiful area and a great place to raise a family."

Carolina's signing of Stephane Yelle is bad news for Michael Ryan, who until now was the front-runner for the fourth-line center spot, but good news for everyone else. Yelle is a perfect fit in that role.

At 35, he has lost a step or two, which is why he was available for the bargain price of $550,000, but he's still one of the better defensive role centers in the NHL, a faceoff ace and a good fit in Carolina's hard-working dressing room. The combination of Eric Staal, Matt Cullen, Rod Brind'Amour and Yelle down the middle is about as deep as any in the league.