Blues sign ex-Oiler Whitney to tryout offer

Ryan Whitney spen parts of the last four seasons with the Oilers. (CP/John Ulan)

Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney has signed a professional tryout offer from the St. Louis Blues, according to NHL reporter Andy Strickland.

The free agent blue-liner appeared in 34 games for the Oilers last season, scoring four goals and 13 points while averaging 18:28 of ice time per game.

Whitney, 30, was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in 2010 in exchange for defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky. Drafted fifth overall by the Penguins in 2002, Whitney was unable to live up to expectations in Edmonton in part due to multiple injuries. In 139 games over parts of four seasons, he finished with 12 goals and 71 points.

The Blues currently have six defencemen under contract, while top defender Alex Pietrangelo, a restricted free agent, remains unsigned.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.