Sharks’ Alex Wennberg activated off IR, will return to lineup

A veteran piece is set to return to action after an extended layoff.

When speaking to reporters, San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Wennberg confirmed that he will return to the lineup on Monday night, being activated off injured reserve as the Sharks get set to host the New York Islanders.

Wennberg has been out of action for the past 10 games due to an upper-body injury, which reportedly came during the Sharks’ 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Oct. 19. In his absence, the Sharks have continued their early-season struggles, going 3-7-0 over that span, coming into Monday night on a five-game losing skid.

The 32-year-old had appeared in each of the team’s first nine games of the season, but struggled to produce a ton of offense. He has just three assists to his name so far, registering a plus/minus of -3 while averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game, good for fourth on the San Jose roster.

While Wennberg was out, Ty Dellandrea took his spot centering the second line. During the morning skate on Monday, Wennberg was back centering Mason Marchment and Kiefer Sherwood, as the experienced trio looks to bring some needed life to the fledgling Sharks.

Wennberg is in his third season with the Sharks, whom he signed as an unrestricted free agent in July 2024. He’s coming off one of the best seasons of his NHL career, in which he potted a career-high 18 goals while amassing 37 assists for 55 points. He also represented Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, though he failed to score a point in five games. Nevertheless, the Stockholm native’s play led the Sharks to sign him to a three-year contract extension, which will carry an AAV of $6 million through the 2028-29 campaign.

The Sharks (7-11-1) sit sixth in the Pacific Division, six points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.