Luke Glendening is feeling ‘joy in the journey’ to his home state to face the Red Wings

DETROIT ― While everyone waited with bated breath to see if there was one more move the Flyers were going to make at the buzzer of the NHL trade deadline, a tweet went out.

“Roster update: We have claimed forward Luke Glendening off waivers,” the post read.

It was a bit surprising, considering everyone was hoping for that 1C or 1D to find their way to Philly. Instead, the Flyers picked up a gritty veteran from the New Jersey Devils who can play wing and center.

The move may have appeared to be a minor one, but the 36-year-old has slotted in nicely on the fourth line with Sean Couturier and Garnet Hathaway, and on the penalty kill.

But what he has also brought is something that the Flyers were severely lacking. Entering the season, the Flyers’ five centers — Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras, Couturier, Noah Cates, and Rodrigo Ābols — are all left-handed. Glendening, who came to Philly with a career 55.6% winning percentage in the faceoff circle, is a righty.

“It really has added a lot to our team,” coach Rick Tocchet said of having a right-handed center whom Jon Cooper raved to him about. “Think, since I put that line together, they’re an identity line for us. But it’s also on the PK, having that right-handed shot — Coots all year has done a nice job [but] it’s hard to play both dots all the time — so it is a luxury.”

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Having a righty is more important than most realize, especially in the defensive zone when the faceoff is in the right circle, which would be Couturier’s weak side, because his stick would line up angled to the net, not the boards. Teams would take advantage of that, especially on icings where the offensive team dictates the circle used; however, with Glendening, things are evened out.

“He’s a smart, reliable defensive player, really strong on faceoffs. Used to hate going against him in the draws; it was always a battle,” Couturier said. “Probably chopped your wrist off if you got too low. So it’s nice to have it on my side.”

Glendening has four points (one goal, three assists) and a 60% winning rate on faceoffs since joining the Flyers. He will suit up on Saturday for his eighth game with the Orange and Black in one of the biggest games of the season against the Detroit Red Wings (8 p.m., ABC) in an all-too-familiar place.

About 2½ hours northwest of Detroit in Grand Rapids, Glendening grew up playing hockey. He didn’t join the famous Little Caesars Hockey program, which has produced over 100 pros like former Flyers John Vanbiesbrouck, Mike Knuble, and Derian Hatcher.

Instead, he played four years of hockey at East Grand Rapids High School and a year at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He spent four years at the University of Michigan, where he served as captain for two years and went to the national championship as a junior. (The Wolverines lost to Minnesota-Duluth, where Cates played, and “He’ll always have that over me,” the older Glendening joked, with the two teams meeting again in a regional final on Sunday.)

After playing three games with Providence of the American Hockey League on a tryout agreement once his college career was over, he signed a deal with his hometown Grand Rapids Griffins. Glendening spent most of the season in Michigan, but also suited up for 27 games with Toledo of the ECHL.

The next summer, he inked a deal with his childhood team, the Red Wings, and made his NHL debut, somewhat fittingly now in hindsight, against the Flyers.

“I think dream come true is probably overused, but for me, it really was,” he said. “I signed in the American League, played in the Coast [ECHL], and never thought that I was going to play in the NHL, and then to get a chance to play with my hometown team was really special.”

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Glendening spent eight seasons with the Red Wings, even playing for his childhood favorite-turned-team-general-manager, Steve Yzerman, toward the end. He was with the Dallas Stars, who the Flyers see on Sunday at home (7 p.m., NBCSP) for two seasons, two seasons with Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Devils this season.

It’s always special for the Michigander to not just come back home — he’ll have a family contingent in the crowd — but to the first place he stepped onto the ice as an NHLer.

When you mention to him that he’s inching toward 1,000 NHL games, Glendening will humbly say he’s not really that close. But, if he plays the rest of the way this season and 65 the next, he’ll hit the milestone mark.

“I’ve just always found joy in the journey, I guess would be the best way to put it,” he said.

“It’s been a huge blessing to be around this league. There’s been many different stops along the way, and times when I didn’t know if it was going to continue, but just thankful for each and every day I get.”

Dan Vladař will start in goal for the Flyers. The expectation is that Sam Ersson will then tend the twine on Sunday against Dallas. Forward Tyson Foerster made the trip and participated in morning skate in a regular jersey. Per Tocchet, don’t read too much into it as morning skate prep work was not a contact-heavy skate.

The New York Sirens and Montreal Victoire of the PWHL played at 1 p.m. to a packed house at Little Caesars Arena.