OTTAWA — Luke Glendening’s Journey with the Rangers

For Luke Glendening, a new forward for the Rangers, the beginning of this season has been quite the journey.

Having to rely on a professional tryout for the second consecutive October, he joined the Lightning’s third training camp group primarily populated by prospects and AHL-bound players.

This 37-year-old, boasting over 900 NHL games, expressed that spending time on the ice with younger players was enjoyable. He felt “reinvigorated” to watch them experience their first NHL camps, even as he marked his own 14th year.

It seemed like his time with the Lightning was, well, more of a courtesy. Glendening had been training in Tampa Bay all summer, and the organization was aware of his intention to keep playing in the NHL. Head coach Jon Cooper mentioned they had an extra spot available.

After being let go at the end of September, the Michigan native stuck around in Florida, continuing his training while waiting for the next opportunity.

“I went from playing dress-up and Barbies to playing in the National Hockey League,” he said, referencing the time spent with his daughters, Riggsy, 3, and Ada Grace, 1, before making his Rangers debut during a loss to the Senators. “So it’s a wild ride.”

Saturday’s game was actually the first in which Glendening was eligible to participate.

With the Blueshirts sending Justin Dowling back to Hartford after practice on Friday, Glendening stepped into the fourth-line center role for the game after turning his midseason PTO into a one-year, $850,000 contract just before the Rangers’ matchup in Toronto.

Throughout his NHL career, Glendening has played for six different teams.

“These guys have been rolling along pretty well,” he remarked. “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.”

Dylan Garand faced 22 shots in Saturday night’s game, stopping 17 of them during his seventh consecutive start. Coach Mike Sullivan commented on the rookie goalie’s workload, stating they are closely monitoring both his performance and the upcoming schedule.

“We’re well aware of what his workload is,” he noted. “We talk with him daily, and I speak to Dylan about how he feels. Yes, we anticipate giving him some rest moving forward.”

Regarding a late-night recall of Matthew Robertson, Sullivan described it as more about the team’s business side and preparing for any scenario.

Meanwhile, Sean Durzi missed his second practice due to “maintenance” but he did participate in an optional morning skate, eventually playing against the Senators.

Shuffling the lines by the second period, Sullivan switched Pavel Dorofeyev with Oliver Bjorkstrand on the second line.

Dorofeyev found the net for his third goal of the season which brought the Rangers within one goal with just under five minutes left in regulation. Yet, he has still been struggling to make a significant impact in games.

“This is what I said to him this morning; I had a conversation with him,” Sullivan explained after the loss. “Pav’s had a lot of chances. He’s hit a lot of posts. If a certain percentage of those shots had gone in, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. That’s just the nature of hockey. He got a nice goal tonight, a goal-scorer’s goal. We’re hoping that might kickstart him.”