The Edmonton Oilers failed in their attempts to woo top UFA forwards like Scott Gomez and Daniel Briere. They were rebuffed in their effort to repair the burnt bridges with "Captain Canada," Ryan Smyth. And the Buffalo Sabres thwarted their attempt to sign away restricted free agent Thomas Vanek, matching the Oilers' uncommonly generous seven-year, $50 million offer.

But in the end, GM Kevin Lowe managed to reel in a big-name free agent, Alberta native Sheldon Souray, who gives the Oilers a lethal weapon for their power play. Last season, Souray set an NHL record, scoring 19 power play goals. In total, the 6'4", 220-pound rearguard tallied 26 goals and 64 points, by far the most productive offensive totals of his NHL career.

Prior to the signing, all speculation regarding Souray had him playing either in California (for the Ducks, Sharks, or Kings) or in the New York area (for the Rangers or Devils). But in the end, Souray decided to return home to play for the Oilers.

"I'm heading home to Alberta and I can't wait to step onto the ice at Rexall Place," Souray said in a release. "It's always been a terrific building to play in. I couldn't be happier with my decision and I can tell you it was an easy one to make. I'm looking forward to playing in Edmonton for a great organization and believe me, I know how good the fans in Edmonton are."

Souray was originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 1994 entry draft. He has played in 506 regular-season games with New Jersey and Montreal, recording 66 goals and 120 assists while posting 812 penalty minutes. The two-time All-Star played three seasons with the Devils before being traded to the Canadiens in 2000, in a deal for Vladimir Malakhov.

Look for Souray to play the right point on the power play in Edmonton, with recent acquisition Joni Pitkanen feeding him the puck from the left point just as Andrei Markov did in Montreal. The Oilers still need to upgrade their forward corps, and it will be interesting to see whether they foray into the slowly dwindling UFA market or whether they instead look to pull off a trade.

The addition of Souray gives the Oilers seven NHL-caliber defensemen, while they've only got eight forwards under contract. Of the remaining UFAs on the market, the Oilers' most likely targets are Mike Peca, Eric Lindros, Jason Allison, Petr Nedved and Josef Vasicek.

Of course, none would provide production commensurate with what Gomez, Briere, Smyth, or Vanek could have offered. But with Souray anchoring what should be a much improved power play, the Oilers are far better-equipped to benefit tremendously from some creative bargain-bin shopping than they were without him.