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Over the course of his career, Glass has made a name for himself by filling the role of enforcer wherever he goes. The 213-pound winger has just 24 goals and 69 points in 527 NHL contests, but he's racked up 658 PIM and 1,454 hits. Last year, he played in 37 games between Calgary and AHL Stockton, but was often a healthy scratch at the NHL level. Glass was still looking for work as of mid-August, though he could earn a tryout contract like he did with the Flames last season. Even if he carves out a role on hockey's biggest stage, Glass won't do much to benefit fantasy owners.
When Glass agreed to a three-year deal with the Rangers in the summer of 2014, it seemed like a good value, but that wasn't the case in 2014-15. While the 31-year-old veteran did manage to log 98 penalty minutes last season, he also churned out the worst offensive campaign of his eight-year career (six points in 66 regular-season games) to go along with a career-worst minus-12 rating. This resulted in Glass watching a few games from the press box as the team zeroed in on the playoffs. Although Glass has another two years remaining on his contract, with multiple younger farm hands knocking on the door for a roster spot, it's very possible the winger could be looking for a new employer come the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
Without a doubt, one of the organization's most notable free-agency signing of the summer, Glass (three years contract, $1.45 million per season) comes over from the team's Conference Semi-Final foes Pittsburgh to fill the void left by the trade of Derek Dorsett. The 30-year-old winger, who has worn four sweaters in seven NHL seasons, including two with then-Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault, brings a grit (career-high 115 penalty minutes in 2009-10 with Canucks) and an occasional offensive contribution. Headed into training camp, it certainly seems Glass, will be doing most of team’s dirty work for time being and might be considered for an owner in search of penalty minutes in a deeper league format.
Glass wasn't expected to produce offensively when he signed with Pittsburgh a summer ago, but he was counted upon to effectively fill a grinding, third or fourth line role. By season's end, many observers were wondering why he was even in the Pens' lineup. Glass was durable, playing in all 48 games, but he rarely did anything to spark his teammates. The forward finished with a team-leading 125 hits, but landed on the bottom of the pile with a team-worst minus-11 rating. He could be used on a nightly basis looking for hits in head-to-head leagues, but with two points (1G, 1A) there's not much to like with Glass.
Glass is expected to replace the grit Pittsburgh lost when it allowed Arron Asham sign with the Rangers. The third-line forward averaged a career-high 13:25 time-on-ice in 2011-12 and the increased playing time led to 246 hits, nearly double his total from 2010-12 (130). Glass has never compiled more than 16 points in a single season, but fantasy owners looking for hits could do a lot worse than Glass.
Glass had just 10 points in 73 games with the Canucks in the 2010-11. He is the type of player that has to grind it out on his team's fourth line every night. His role in Winnipeg will be no different and in most formats he is not worth fantasy consideration because of that.
After a rash of injuries hit the Canucks last season, Glass found a role with the team as a depth forward. He finished with four goals and seven assists in 67 appearances. That performance was good enough to earn Glass a one-way deal this season, but don’t expect his role or production to change.
Glass is a reliable two-way forward, but as his two career points suggest, he's better at the defensive side of things. He'll give the Canucks depth on their fourth line, but his lack of scoring and an uncertain roster spot keep him off the fantasy radar.
Glass played sparingly in half a season with the Panthers, mainly as a grinding fourth-line winger who would drop the gloves when necessary. His role isn't expected to grow this season.
