Sheldon Souray
Sheldon Souray was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round (71st overall) by the New Jersey Devils where he played from 1997 to 1999 before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000 for Vladimir Malakhov. He wouldn't produce more than 10 points in a season with New Jersey, so when he was moved to Montreal it was time for a change in his production.
After suffering a serious wrist injury which kept him out of the entire 2002-2003 season, Souray returned to play for the Canadiens and had a milestone season, amassing the largest goal total of his career and participating in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game.
On the international side, Souray represented Canada at the 2005 World Championships in Austria. He was also on the Canadian Olympic men's hockey team's shortlist for the 2006 Winter Olympics but did not make the cut, partly due to his slow start at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season.
In the 2006-2007 season, Souray broke the NHL record of most powerplay goals scored by a defenseman held by Denis Potvin (New York Islanders 1974-75) and Adrian Aucoin (Vancouver Canucks 1998-99) with 19. He amassed an overall of 26 goals, 38 assists for a total of 64 points for the season; placing him in second for leading the Montreal Canadiens in both goals and points. Sheldon Souray recently signed a deal with the Edmonton Oilers in the free agency signing period of July 2007.
Souray brings size, toughness and leadership to the game. It naturally helps that he has a cannon of a slapshot and isn't afraid to use it. Souray does tend to take a few unnecessary penalties and can have problems keeping his temper in check, but he is certainly one of the most popular defensemen in the league and would be an asset to any team's roster.
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