Getting on Glendening because he hasn't scored a goal is totally missing the point of him. It's almost like getting on Nyquist because he doesn't block enough shots. In a tight playoff series, how do we know a shot that Nyquist doesn't block won't end up being the difference?
Glendening is a shutdown center. His duties lie 100% on the defensive side of the puck. Any offense he provides is essentially a bonus. He takes the vast majority of his faceoffs in the defensive zone. He's clutch on the PK. He checks and grinds and pushes, shoves, yaps, agitates. He frustrates the likes of Crosby and Stamkos. In a tight playoff series against a top-heavy team like the Pens, a Luke Glendening would, in theory, give our top three lines more room in the matchups battle. If Datsyuk doesn't have to shadow Crosby on every shift he takes, he's probably going to be more dangerous offensively. Maybe Helm can cheat up ice a little more. Throw in the last change at home and the fact that Babs is a matchup wizard, and that's potentially the difference in the series right there.
But that's not even the big thing with him. The big thing with him is that he works hard, plays the right way, takes care of business, is zero-maintence, etc. He's a coach's dream and the kind of guy you love to have on your team. I don't think it's totally a coincidence that Babs says Glendening's line was our best against the Sabres and then, bam!, he gets extended. Our team has problems with keeping it simple, giving consistent effort, staying focused, sustaining intensity, being responsible defensively, avoiding complacency. Those things aren't an issue for Glendening, and that's a big deal - for the team as a whole. That was on full display last night. He can be a steadying presence. Things getting dicey? Crosby running amok? Key PK? Too much cuteness? Throw Glendening's line over the boards. He may not score, but 1) big deal, and 2) he's going to score eventually, and then we'll be complaining that he doesn't score enough.
I mean, yeah, he's never scored in the NHL playoffs. That's true. But he's never actually played in the NHL playoffs. He's got, like, 50 games of NHL experience. And he's, what, like, 16 years old? Pretty sure this is the first season that fellow blockhand Darren Helm has shown the slightest bit of real scoring prowess. (That he's 27 probably has something to do with it.)
I just think it's nitpicking, saying Kocur scored some playoff goals therefore Glendening is useless.
