630 CHED Sports
5/11/2012
Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney hopes his injury woes are behind him when he reports to Edmonton for training camp in the fall.
Whitney, 29, has played just 51 games since injuring his ankle in December of 2010. He says the after-effects of that injury, plus a knee problem suffered this past season, limited him when he did play.
"There are just some things, skating-wise, that I used to be able to do a lot easier," he explained. "I happen to have had some tough luck with four foot surgeries that make things a little tougher. I still believe I can be a really good top four defenceman and be on a really good Edmonton team going forward."
Whitney figures the team will improve with the top pick in June's NHL draft. "Just to win the lottery again is pretty cool. It wasn't our goal by any means, but you're just adding another special player no matter who it is," Whitney said. "With the talent we already have with these young guys, it's going to be pretty impressive to grab another one." (jrw)
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