Souray reported to his second Devils training camp overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager Lou Lamoriello called him embarrassing, and that he would never play for the team if it happened again.

He finished his rookie season with modest scoring totals of three goals and ten points in 60 games, but most importantly established that he was capable of being an NHL regular.

[3] Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to midway through the 1999–2000 season, earning a reputation as a big, steady, physical defender with a mean streak and a hard shot.

However, with the Devils preparing to make their Stanley Cup run late in the 1999–2000 season and believing they needed more offence from the blue line, Souray was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in exchange for Vladimir Malakhov.

He got off to a good start in 2001–02, threatening to surpass his previous offensive highs, as he tallied three goals and five assists in just 34 games while fighting through an injury-plagued campaign.

2001–02 also saw him record his first career power play goal, as the Canadiens began to realize the value of having a player on the point who could consistently shoot the puck as hard as Souray.

[4] That goal, scored on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Andrew Raycroft in the shootout, stood as the eventual winner in a 4–3 Montreal victory.

In the off-season, Souray became an unrestricted free agent and, on July 12, 2007, he signed a five-year, $27 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers, his favourite team growing up.

He finished third in the hardest shot competition that year, clocking in at 102.3 mph, behind Shea Weber (103.4) of the Nashville Predators, and winner Zdeno Chára (105.4) of the Boston Bruins.

Then, on January 30, 2010, in a rematch against the Flames, Souray fought Iginla, resulting in a Boxer's fracture in his right hand, requiring surgery taking him out for the remainder of the season finishing 19th four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 37 contests played.

[6][7] During the 2010 off-season, citing irreconcilable differences with Oiler management due to their handling of his various ailments, Souray requested a trade out of Edmonton.

However, due to his high salary and previous year's injuries, few NHL teams were willing to take such a large financial risk on a player who might not be 100% healthy, talented as he may be.

[10] Souray accepted his demotion to the minors and posted a solid AHL season, as he battled and slowly recovered from his nagging injuries.

[12] Having recovered from his injuries, Souray made a successful comeback with the Stars, taking on more of a defensive role than in the recent past, particularly at even strength.

The Stars, meanwhile, while recognizing Souray's physical style, also openly declared that in order to preserve his health, they did not want him fighting very often, although they did not go so far as to dictate directly for him to never do so.

Souray earned the respect of fans, teammates and local media in Dallas very quickly for his physical style of play and booming shot, and restored some of the goodwill that had been lost due to his spat with the Oilers.

Despite missing a handful of games after sustaining an ankle injury blocking a shot in a December 23, 2011, win over the Nashville Predators, he had returned to the Dallas lineup by early January and was again a contributing member of their blueline corps.

[16][17] During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, he remained healthy and carried his strong defensive play over from Dallas, posting a career-best plus-minus rating of +19.

At a young age, Souray moved with his family from Fishing Lake Métis Settlement to a small community in Alberta in order for his sister to attend school.