On Feb. 11, 2008, defenseman Joe Corvo was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes with Patrick Eaves for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore.

On July 7, 2010, he was signed as a free agent by the Hurricanes, and then was traded to the Boston Bruins the following summer as the other skate to drop in Carolina's signing of Tomas Kaberle.

Perhaps three's a charm: The Hurricanes signed Corvo, 35, on Sunday during the first day of NHL free agency. His deal was for 1 year and $2 million, giving the Hurricanes a right-handed shot and a puck-moving offensive defenseman.

Expect him to move right in as a defensive partner for Tim Gleason, who avoided UFA status with a 4-year, $16-million deal earlier this year.

"Joe's given us some good time here, and he has some chemistry with Gleason. It was a good fit for us from that point of view," said GM Jim Rutherford. "Getting a veteran defenseman there was important."

The Gleason/Corvo paring with Joni Pitkanen and Justin Faulk gives the Hurricanes a solid top two pairings.

Corvo, meanwhile, joins the ranks of Erik Cole and Craig Adams as Hurricanes players that left and then returned to Carolina.

He hasn't been a locker room favorite in other cities — particularly his stop in Washington — but clearly Raleigh's a place where Corvo's comfortable. At one year, it's worth a shot for Rutherford.