Red Wings Player Grades: Faceoff Specialist, Luke Glendening

Luke Glendening’s skills on the faceoff became a running joke this season, as the Red Wing’s broadcast team clung on to the feat during the worst stretches of the season. Let’s go beyond the faceoffs and look at Glendening’s season as a whole.

2021 Statline

Games Played: 54

Goals: 6

Assists: 9

+/-: 3

Preseason Projections:

4th line  veteran winger/center

2021 Season in a Nutshell

For most of the season, Luke Glendening was known around the league for one specific skill: faceoff wins. This was especially true before the trade deadline. Glendening drew a surprising amount of interest around the league for his ability to consistently win faceoffs – he led the league in win percentage for a good chunk of the year (He was dethroned by Patrice Bergeron near the end of the year). A decent shutdown grinder with a very specific skill was enticing for teams looking to complete a playoff ready roster.

Glendening was typically deployed to either win a faceoff or shut down an opposing line. He succeeded at both quite often. His plus-minus finished at three, tied for best on the team. While the stat is not the best for discerning the talent of a player, it certainly comes into play for a guy deployed specifically to keep the game close. Glendening also scored at an okay rate, with six goals and nine assists on the year. He certainly wasn’t a game changer in terms of offensive output, but 15 points is a reasonable ask of a veteran forward without many offensive skills.

They Said It

“He’s a great culture guy because of where his work ethic is at. We talk all the time about outworking, out-competing the other team. He embodies that. And then he’s an effective player on the ice, certainly with his face-offs but his defensive play and his ability to win battles, also grinding teams in the O-zone.”

-Jeff Blashill, via MLive

Final Grade