Penguins activate Rickard Rakell from injured reserve

A key player is set to return after an extended absence.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the team has activated forward Rickard Rakell from injured reserve.

Rakell has been out of action since suffering a hand injury on Oct. 25 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which later required surgery. It led the 32-year-old to miss the next 20 games, including both games against the Nashville Predators in the NHL Global Series in his native Sweden.

During that time, the Penguins went from one of the league’s hottest teams in the first month of the season to battling for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh went 8-6-6 with Rakell out of the lineup, including a tough 4-2 loss on home ice to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, extending the team’s losing skid to three games.

With Rakell being activated, things are pointing to him dressing for the Pens’ matchup with the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon.

The Sundbyberg native had a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign before getting hurt. In the first eight games of the season, he had notched three goals and five assists for eight points. Rakell was riding a five-game point streak before the injury against Columbus, giving the revitalized Penguins some needed offensive punch. The team entered the year looking to get back in the postseason race after failing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the previous three seasons.

Despite Pittsburgh’s struggles last season, Rakell had the best performance of his NHL career. In 81 games, he posted 35 goals and 70 points, both career highs, finishing second on the team in scoring behind captain Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins (14-8-7) currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the East, five points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division.