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Shakeup continues as Florida waives Whitney

Ryan Whitney, Steve Montador

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney, left, and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Steve Montador leave the talks between the NHL Players association and the league at the NHL’s headquarters in New York, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. The NHL is still awaiting the NHLPA s counterproposal as the calendar turns toward August and there appears to be no resolution in sight. The current collective bargaining agreement ends on Sept. 15, and the NHL season is scheduled to open on Oct. 11. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

AP

Just hours after cleaning house by firing his entire coaching staff, Florida GM Dale Tallon shook up his roster by putting veteran defenseman Ryan Whitney on waivers.

Whitney, who signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with Florida after playing in St. Louis’ camp on a PTO, has only appeared in six games this year for the Panthers, going scoreless while posting a minus-7 rating. He last played in Tuesday’s shootout loss to Edmonton, after which Tallon reportedly sent around a mass email trying to trade Whitney.

The 30-year-old rearguard was, at one time, a quality offensive defenseman, scoring 59 points for Pittsburgh during the 2006-07. Injuries and steadily decreasing foot speed have hampered his game, however, and he’s had issues defensively in each of his last three stops (Edmonton, Anaheim and Florida).