On Monday, Oct. 19, the Rangers signed Luke Glendening to a pro tryout (PTO).

A veteran checking center who’s played for five different teams, including the Red Wings, Stars, Lightning, Devils, and Flyers, the 37-year-old could replace Justin Dowling on the fourth line soon. Glendening is strictly a defensive-minded pivot who can win faceoffs and kill penalties in a small role.

For his 13-year career, Glendening has played in 934 games while totaling 85 goals with 90 assists for 175 points. For the first half of his career, he spent it with the Red Wings lasting eight seasons in Hockeytown. A gritty player, he reached double digits in goals three times and eclipsed 20 points twice for the Winged Wheel.

A fixture on the penalty kill, he scored four shorthanded goals with Detroit. He’s always been a gritty player who finishes checks and blocks shots. Assuming he takes over the fourth line role from Dowling, who’ll take part in his third game when the Rangers host the Ducks tonight, Glendening is more dependable due to his resume.

In 2025-26, he was waived by the Devils after playing in 52 games. The rival Flyers picked him up for the remainder of the season. In 18 games, he put up two goals and three assists with a 57.2 faceoff percentage to help the Flyers qualify for the postseason.

After averaging less than 10 minutes for the first time in his career, Glendening was trusted by Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet, who gave him 12:23 ATOI down the stretch. In 10 playoff games, Glendening had a goal and plus-3 rating while going 48.7 percent on draws (56-and-59).

Reaction to Glendening Move

When I learned of the move, my reaction was that he’s an upgrade over Dowling, which isn’t meant to be disrespectful. Dowling gives an honest effort and even made a couple of nice plays, including leading Oliver Bjorkstrand in for a high-danger scoring chance. However, he isn’t going to play enough to make a difference.

A once perceived team strength is now a weakness due to the longterm injury to Joe Veleno. With him out for the next two months, they gave prospect Cole Beaudoin a few games to see what he’s capable of.

It was a mixed bag for the younger 20-year-old center. He was okay on faceoffs, going 16-for-33. His size and skating are pluses, along with the defensive instincts he possesses. However, he had a giveaway that led to a goal against and took a couple of penalties. Despite that, Rangers bench boss Mike Sullivan liked what he saw from him.

Since they sent Beaudoin down to Hartford, he hasn’t played a game yet. He’s day-to-day with an injury. Hopefully, he heals quickly and can be available later this week when the Wolf Pack return to action for the Providence Bruins on Friday and then the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.

After going down, Jaroslav Chmelar scored a goal in a 4-2 loss to the Charlotte Checkers. Top prospect Liam Greentree scored his third on the power play. Greentree is tied for the team lead in goals with Taylor Raddysh, who was recalled to replace Chmelar over this past weekend.

Edstrom Trade Backfiring on Blueshirts

Near the conclusion of 2025-26, Adam Edstrom fell out of favor under Sullivan. Despite wanting to see what he could do playing at center, Sullivan abandoned that experiment by healthy scratching Edstrom in favor of vets Conor Sheary and Jonny Brodzinski.

The oft-injured forward returned last March. He got into 11 games and scored a goal versus the Winnipeg Jets on Mar. 12. Despite being a good penalty killer and solid physical presence who brought size and speed, Edstrom was traded by the Rangers to the Predators last June 27 in exchange for a 2026 fifth round pick (Luken Huff) and minor leaguer Massimo Rizzo.

For some reason, they gave away Edstrom for nothing. To the surprise of no one, he’s rebounded with his new team in Music City. A trusted defensive player, he scored two empty netters in a win over the Canadiens on Oct. 8. In two of his last three games since, Edstrom has a pair of shorthanded goals for the Predators.

Unlike his time spent with the Rangers, he’s seeing an increased role in Nashville where he averages 13:42 of ice time. As usual, the 26-year-old is doing his part physically with 40 hits and 10 blocks. He’s still featured in a fourth line role with former Hurricane Jack Drury, but both are used more frequently.

Given the current situation with the fourth line, which now consists of placeholder Dowling, Raddysh, and the under utilized Oliver Bjorkstrand, it looks like the Rangers miscalculated badly with Edstrom, who makes $975,000 this season before turning restricted next summer.

Sometimes, it’s the moves you don’t make that don’t hurt you. This is on Sullivan, who obviously preferred Chmelar and even Matt Rempe over Edstrom. The preseason injury to Adam Sykora hasn’t helped matters. He’s definitely missed by the Rangers.

Considering how it’s played out so far, they screwed up.