UPDATE: Ryan Whitney it is. The Blues have officially invited him to training camp.
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The Blues are looking to invite a veteran defenseman to training camp in the event that Alex Pietrangelo's contract negotiations linger into the team's preparations for 2013-14. Who? Bob McKenzie believes it might be Ryan Whitney.
It's all about depth. It's not confirmed that Whitney will be the man invited to camp, but the Blues are searching for a bit of additional depth should Pietrangelo be unavailable.
Ian Cole appears to be the 7th man on the St. Louis depth chart, but he would probably be bumped up should the Pietrangelo situation remain unresolved. Beyond Cole the options are fairly limited. Adding an experienced defenseman on a training camp invite or on a two-way contract might be in the team's best interest.
Whitney is a man looking for a contract. The Blues don't appear to be ready to hand out any new contracts (they've got enough on their hands with Pietrangelo), but a training camp invite is an easy solution to a potential problem. Whitney skated with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012-13, scoring 13 points in 34 games. The 30-year-old defenseman wouldn't be a bad option if the Pietrangelo negotiations continue to sputter.
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