As it appears the Sheldon Souray era is ending in Edmonton, the Oilers went out and signed another big blueliner with a cannon shot from the point.
Numbers Game looks at the Oilers' signing of Kurtis Foster.
The Oilers Get: D Kurtis Foster.
Foster, 28, recovered from a broken femur suffered in March of 2008 to have the most productive season of his career in 2009-2010.
The 6-foot-5 defenceman isn't terribly mobile, but owns a devastating shot from the point that helped him score 26 power play points on his way to a career-high total of 42 points.
Foster enjoyed a somewhat protected existence in Tampa Bay, playing about 17 minutes per game, but that seems to be the right fit for him.
Given his salary, of $3.6-million over two seasons, it's not unreasonable to have Foster play on the third pairing at even strength while handling first-unit power play time.
Foster's big shot from the point ought to help create room for Edmonton's forwards down low on the power play and improve the blueline production with the man advantage.
Tampa Bay addressed their need on the point, after Foster's departure, by signing veteran Pavel Kubina.
Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@ctv.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen.