Alexander Wennberg Returns to Save the Sharks From Themselves

Alexander Wennberg is officially returning to the San Jose Sharks lineup on Monday night against the New York Islanders after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury.

The Sharks surviving without their second-line center went exactly as well as you would expect. San Jose dropped seven of the 10 games he missed, including their current five-game losing skid, proving that removing a 20-minute-a-night guy from a fragile roster is a structural collapse waiting to happen.

"Daily Faceoff reported Wennberg's return after a 10-game absence."

Before getting hurt against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 19, the 32-year-old was eating massive minutes but struggling to actually produce. He has just three assists and a minus-three rating in nine appearances this season, which is a tough look for a guy who just inked a three-year extension carrying a $6 million cap hit after a career year.

But his value is not just in the box score. Wennberg is expected to immediately slot back in between Mason Marchment and Kiefer Sherwood, pushing Ty Dellandrea down the depth chart where he belongs. For anyone looking at the prop market or game totals, getting a veteran center back stabilizes a San Jose forward group that has looked completely lost in transition lately.

The Sharks are sitting at 7-11-1 and already six points out of the Western Conference Wild Card race. If Wennberg cannot spark this second line starting Monday night against the Islanders, San Jose is going to be playing out the string before we even hit Thanksgiving.