Detroit Red Wings: 5 players likely on the move at the Trade Deadline
By Bob Heyrman
![Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/b861b361bd87fa7821adf03dc1be2a3231f7c4643f03b2169534abe9ed58acaf.jpg)
Luke Glendening
This might be the year Luke Glendening gets moved. It seems year after year we’re expecting the veteran centerman to be packing his bags, but year-after-year he’s wearing that winged-wheel post NHL trade deadline.
Glendening is stellar in the faceoff circle, winning a career-high 63.8% of his draws. That alone should have a plethora of playoff-bound teams interested in his services.
It seems surreal that the former Michigan Wolverine forward is near 32-year old. Where does the time go?
Glendening has played up and down the Detroit Red Wings lineup, but that’s mostly due to a lackluster group of forwards. He does have the ability to slide to the wing after taking a faceoff that he usually wins, which does display some versatility teams looking for a fourth-line penalty-killing forward will be seeking.
Glendening is a pending free agent that carries a cap hit of $1.8 million, most of which will already be paid by the Detroit Red Wings.
The veteran forward averages nearly 14 and a half minutes of ice-time per game plus has the potential to chip in offensively from time-to-time. So far in 2021, Glendening has amassed nine points in 30 games but has only scored three times.
I’m impartial when it comes to Glendening’s future with the Red Wings.
I believe there is a role for a player like Glendening but won’t be hurt if he’s traded for future assets. It’s a no-brainer if Detroit can land a second or third-round pick for his services. Earlier in the year, there had been some talk of Yzerman possibly finding a way to land a first-round pick for the alternate captain, but I don’t see that happening.
My problem over the years with the Red Wings roster hasn’t been Glendening in particular, but having far too many Glendening-type players. No NHL team in 2021 requires two full lines of grinding forward with limited scoring ability.