The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that the team has signed veteran forward Luke Glendening to a PTO, giving him the chance to compete for a roster spot in the team’s training camp and preseason. Tampa’s on-ice practices begin tomorrow.
Glendening, 37, is a veteran of 934 NHL games who most recently played for the Philadelphia Flyers. Glendening split 2025-26 between the Flyers and the New Jersey Devils, scoring two goals and nine points in 70 games.
In Philadelphia, Glendening averaged 12:22 time on ice per game and played two minutes per game on the penalty kill, all while winning 57.2% of his draws. Glendening averaged nearly 14:00 time on ice per game in the playoffs, helping the Flyers defeat their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first round of the postseason.
While there is virtually no offense left for Glendening to give, his stint in Philadelphia showed he could still be relied upon as a defensive fourth-line center bringing adept skills at the faceoff dot. Glendening garnered down-ballot Selke Trophy consideration earlier in his career and remains a regular penalty killer.
While he’s no guarantee to make the Lightning roster and earn a full contract, his chances improved today after the announcement that veteran pivot Yanni Gourde would be out until at least December after undergoing hip surgery. Gourde’s absence leaves a hole in Tampa Bay’s bottom-six, and Glendening will get the chance to show he can be the one to fill it thanks to today’s PTO signing.