nypost
For Luke Glendening, the newest forward for the New York Rangers, the beginning of this season has been anything but straightforward. The 37-year-old needed a professional tryout to secure an NHL roster spot for the second consecutive October, and he began training camp skating with the Lightning's third group, which was largely composed of prospects and players ticketed for the AHL.
Glendening, who has appeared in 934 NHL games, described the experience of skating alongside the younger players as enjoyable. He noted that witnessing their first NHL camps during his 14th season gave him a renewed sense of energy.
The PTO with Tampa Bay, according to Glendening, was more of a favor than a tryout. He had spent the summer training in the Tampa Bay area, and the organization was aware of his intention to keep playing in the NHL. Head coach Jon Cooper informed him that the team had an extra spot available. When he was released at the end of September, the Michigan native continued his training in Florida while awaiting his next chance.
"I went from playing dress-up and Barbies to playing in the National Hockey League," Glendening said before his Rangers debut in Saturday's loss to the Senators, referencing his time with daughters Riggsy, 3, and Ada Grace, 1. "So it's a wild ride."
Saturday night's matchup marked the first game in which Glendening was eligible to play. The Blueshirts reassigned Justin Dowling, who had filled in at fourth-line center for the previous four games, to Hartford after Friday's practice. Glendening took that spot on Saturday after his midseason PTO was converted into a one-year, $850,000 contract (the league minimum) just before the Rangers' game in Toronto on Thursday. He has now played for six teams over the course of his NHL career.
"These guys have been rolling along pretty well," he said. "I'm not a big piece, I'm just trying to fit in and do what I'm asked to do. I keep using this word, but it's true: Every day in this league is a blessing, and I'm just so thankful for another one."
Key Analysis
Glendening's journey underscores the resilience required to sustain a long NHL career. His humility and gratitude for every opportunity stand out, as does his ability to adapt to a new team midseason. The Rangers' decision to bring him in reflects a need for depth and experience, and his attitude suggests he could be a valuable presence in the locker room.
In other Rangers news, rookie goaltender Dylan Garand made his seventh consecutive start on Saturday, stopping 17 of 22 shots. Head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged the workload, saying, "We've looked at the schedule, so we know where we're at. We've looked at the body of work. The number of games that he's played. We look at what we have moving forward and we're going to try to make decisions accordingly. We're well aware of what his workload is and where he's at. We talk with him daily, our coaching staff and in particular Jeff Malcolm, our goalie coach, who I think has a real good feel for Dylan and where he's at. I speak to Dylan also as far as how he feels, and so we're aware of what his workload is. Do we anticipate moving forward giving him some rest? Yes."
Sullivan described Matthew Robertson's late-night recall on Friday as "more the business side of it and making sure we're prepared for any scenario." Defenseman Sean Durzi missed his second straight practice for what the team called maintenance, but the 28-year-old participated in an optional morning skate and ultimately played against the Senators.
Sullivan shuffled the lines in the second period, replacing Pavel Dorofeyev with Oliver Bjorkstrand on the second line. Dorofeyev scored his third goal of the season to pull the Rangers within one with 4:28 left in regulation, but the Russian sharpshooter is still working to make a consistent impact. "This is what I said to him this morning; I had a conversation with him," Sullivan said after the loss. "Pavs had a lot of chances. He's hit a lot of posts. If a certain percentage of the ones that hit the posts have gone in the net, we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's the nature of hockey. If he wasn't getting the chances, it would be a different conversation. He got a nice goal tonight. It's a goal scorer's goal. We're hoping that might get him going."
Originally reported by nypost.