The New Jersey Devils announced earlier on Tuesday that they have signed veteran forward Luke Glendening on a one-year, $775,000 deal, per nhl.com. The 36-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and previously signed on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Devils before the start of training camp in September.

The Devils also posted about the signing on their official X account.

“One Luke wasn’t enough. We had to double down,” they posted over a picture of the 36-year-old.

Last season, Glendening had four goals, seven points and 105 hits across 77 regular-season appearances. He had a 57% face-off percentage last in 2024-25 and is joining a team with outlined issues at the center position.

Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar had injury-affected campaigns while Dawson Mercer never looked comfortable in the position. The move comes after the Devils had previously re-signed Cody Glass, with the drama around Luke Hughes dominating much of their offseason.

Article Continues Below

Glendening beat out competition from former Calgary Flames man Kevin Rooney, who eventually signed a $1.3 million contract for the Utah Mammoth. Glendening has never quite been a scorer, with his career-high of 23 points coming in the 2018-19 campaign for the Detroit Red Wings.

However, he has not won fewer than 55% of total faceoffs in a season since back in 2017 and can easily prove to be a savvy buy for the Devils. Glendening has also been a postseason veteran and has been to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his last four seasons.

Overall, he has six goals and four assists in 50 Stanley Cup playoff appearances since the 2013-14 season. He also previously played for the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.

The Devils fielded Glendening in six of their seven preseason games, scoring two points (1g-1a). They begin the new campaign with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.