On the day of the trade deadline, so many people expected the Philadelphia Flyers to be at least a little busy. And they might have been behind the scenes, but the deals that were actually completed were fairly ordinary — sending Bobby Brink back home to Minnesota and getting a more long-term project in defenseman David Jiricek, was certainly the highest-profile move the Flyers made.

But one little transaction that at the time was seen as unnecessary, has been maybe the best addition the Flyers have made at a trade deadline in some time.

As the trades were going around the league, the Flyers very quietly claimed veteran center Luke Glendening off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils. The 36-year-old forward that has over 900 games under his belt was cast aside by the even-worse Devils, and then quickly grabbed by the Flyers as they looked for some stability in their bottom six.

Ever since center Rodrigo Abols went down with a season-ending injury, the Flyers have been trying different things on the fourth line. It has come to a point — also because of the player’s decline — that captain Sean Couturier is a mainstay on the fourth line and in a pure depth role. It was a little ugly at first, but somehow, since the Glendening add, there has been a substantial pop of offense coming from those two.

Luke Glendening has exceeded expectations for the Flyers, and then some

In the seven games that Glendening has now played for the Flyers, he has scored a goal and four points, matching his point total from 52 games with the Devils earlier this season. And while some of it could be seen as just pure luck and happenstance that since this grizzled veteran joined the team basically just because he is a pending unrestricted free agent and can win some faceoffs, there has been some bottom-six production, there are subtle things that he brings to the table.

On Thursday night, during the Flyers’ big 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Sean Couturier made it 2-0 while scoring his second goal in as many games and it was Glendening that really made it happen.

THE CAPTAIN MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK GAMES WITH GOALS AND IT’S ALREADY 2-0!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/3LroKw8uOT

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 26, 2026

With the veteran center’s awareness — and the Blackhawks being as bad defensively as you might see in the NHL this season — Glendening was able to intercept a blind pass in the offensive zone, and then almost immediately see his captain open with his stick on the ice, ready for a quick hard pass to send it into the back of the net.

Again, Chicago was terrible in their own zone all night long, but the way that this all came together really highlights just how sometimes a veteran center who might be just months away from announcing his retirement, can still string together these plays. It’s not a shot at the player, but that goal is a good example of the difference between someone with over 900 games under their belt and playing on some very good Detroit Red Wings teams with legendary players, to someone like Rodrigo Abols who has a total of 64 NHL games and all with the Flyers as he made his return to North America last season.

This won’t last forever. Right now, players are shooting at 13.33 percent with Glendening on the ice at 5-on-5, which is by far the highest of the veteran’s career (only once has he had an on-ice shooting percentage of over 10 percent). That number will sink lower and fewer and fewer pucks will be going into the back of the net when that fourth line is on the ice, but for now they’re converting at a very good clip with three goals in the 33 minutes that they’ve been out there.

Maybe what’s even more impressive, is that the trio of Garnet Hathaway, Couturier, and Glendening, are controlling play, in addition to getting pucks in the back of the net. In those aforementioned 33 minutes, they have outshot the opponent 18-15, have a 29-22 advantage in unblocked shot attempts, are even at 36-36 for all shot attempts, and have an outstanding 2.26-1.14 advantage in expected goals. If all four Flyers lines played to that result, this team would be one of the best in the league.

Tell me if you’ve read this before: This won’t necessarily continue and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this fourth line don’t score any goals for the remaining 11 games of the Flyers season. But, it’s just another bit of evidence that maybe the Flyers should go with that trusted voice and someone that has been there before for some forward depth, rather than someone who isn’t necessarily going to be a part of the Flyers’ future.

If they replace Glendening with a fourth-line center like Karsen Dorwart or some other young forward, then obviously that is a decision done in good faith. But if we’re talking about pure results — and maybe just to get some juice out of their declining captain — then Glendening has been a perfect fit.

He’s just been a neat little story and seeing these guys produce some goals that eventually lead to some big wins, is certainly a good thing.