From Barbies to the NHL: Luke Glendening's Unconventional Path to the Rangers

For veteran forward Luke Glendening, the start of the current NHL season has been a unique journey. Needing a professional tryout to secure a spot in the league for the second consecutive October, Glendening spent training camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning, skating with a group that primarily consisted of prospects and players destined for the American Hockey League.

Glendening, 37, described the experience of skating with younger players as enjoyable, noting that it "reinvigorated" him to witness their first NHL training camps while he was in his 14th. He indicated that his tryout with the Lightning felt largely like a favor. Having trained in Tampa Bay throughout the summer, and with the organization aware of his continued desire to play in the NHL, head coach Jon Cooper offered him an available spot.

Upon his release at the end of September, Glendening remained in Florida, continuing his training while awaiting another opportunity. "I went from playing dress-up and Barbies to playing in the National Hockey League," Glendening stated before making his Rangers debut in Saturday's loss to the Senators. He was referring to the time spent with his daughters, Riggsy, 3, and Ada Grace, 1, emphasizing the "wild ride" of his career.

Saturday night's game marked Glendening's first eligible appearance for the Rangers. The team had reassigned Justin Dowling, who had been filling the fourth-line center role for the previous four games, to Hartford after practice on Friday. Glendening then took over that position after converting his midseason PTO into a one-year contract worth $850,000, the league minimum, just before the Rangers' game in Toronto on Thursday.

This signing adds Glendening to his sixth NHL team over the course of his career. "These guys have been rolling along pretty well," he commented about his new team. "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."

In other team news, Dylan Garand made 17 saves on 22 shots faced in his seventh consecutive start Saturday night. Head coach Mike Sullivan addressed Garand's workload on Friday, stating, "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 also described Matthew Robertson’s late recall on Friday as "more the business side of it" and "making sure we’re prepared for any scenario." Although defenseman Sean Durzi missed his second consecutive practice for what the team cited as "maintenance," the 28-year-old participated in an optional morning skate and ultimately played in the game against the Senators.

Following adjustments to the lines by the second period, Sullivan moved Oliver Bjorkstrand to the second line, replacing Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev scored his third goal of the season to bring the Rangers within one goal late in regulation, but the forward is reportedly still finding his footing in games. "This is what I said to him this morning; I had a conversation with him," Sullivan said post-game. "Pav’s 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."