An excerpt from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Rob Rossi):

Ryan Whitney’s critics have considerably less ammunition today.

Turns out, the defenseman skated on one healthy foot last season.

Whitney, whose point total dropped from 59 in 2006-07 to 40 last season, underwent surgery to correct a left-foot misalignment Friday in Charlotte. Full recovery from the procedure, an osteotomy, usually takes three to five months.

“I just couldn’t live on one healthy foot anymore, let alone try to skate,” Whitney said Thursday, on the eve of his surgery. “We’ve tried everything to avoid surgery because we knew it would mean missing a chunk of the season. But nothing worked.”

RDS: Longue absence pour Ryan Whitney

Habster:

This news will be a big blow to the Penguins blueline which will miss Ryan Whitney’s quality minutes on the powerplay and at even strength. Whitney didn’t miss any playoff games due to the left foot injury but it was obvious that he didn’t look right throughout the playoffs.