San Jose Sharks forward Ty Dellandrea suffered a serious leg injury on January 6th and is just about ready to return to the lineup.
The Sharks center has skated with the team for a couple of weeks, and although he isn’t sure if he’s playing tonight, he’s officially an option. Igor Chernyshov is sick and is considered a game-time call; if he can’t play, Dellandrea will enter the lineup.
Dellandrea revealed to reporters that he suffered a torn PCL after crashing into the net against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I just remember taking it wide, trying to beat him with speed. I think I was trying to cut in on a hard angle at a pretty high pace, and I was losing my balance a bit already. Then got tripped up and just hit the post in an awkward position,” Dellandrea said. “I knew right away it was different than anything I had before. Just kind of lost the feeling in the leg, and knew something was wrong.”
Luckily for the San Jose Sharks forward, the PCL is not a ligament that requires surgery during rehab. Although it took a lot of time and prevented him from skating for a little bit, avoiding surgery when able is always a plus.
“It’s been eye-opening, for sure. I’ve never been out for that long or had an injury of that sort, so it’s been eye-opening. You learn a lot about how much you miss the game and just maybe sometimes take for granted just playing every night,” Dellandrea said. “Yeah, I missed it a lot. Missed the guys. The guys have been awesome, supportive, and our staff has been amazing, just helped me get back as quickly as possible.”
The Sharks have officially activated Dellandrea from the injured reserve, allowing him a chance to play against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
The #SJSharks have activated F Ty Dellandrea from injured reserve.
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) April 1, 2026
“I want to help the guys. We’re in this playoff hunt, and this is the best type of hockey to play. This is where I love to play most, and where I even play the best in those playoff situations,” Dellandrea said. “I’m really excited to just try to help the guys, if that’s tonight, if that’s a few games from now, whenever that is, I’m just excited to bring something to the team, help
win games.”
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters after practice on Tuesday that he expects to have Dellandrea in the lineup at some point during the current home stand. With back-to-back wins in their pocket, there is some hesitation to adjust the lineup unless it is necessary.
“That’s the balance, right? Winning some hockey games. We’d like to continue to build some chemistry, too, with some lines and D pairs and what have you,” Warsofsky said. “We’ll have to manage the back-to-backs coming up.”
Starting from Monday’s game against the Blues, the Sharks play eight games in 12 days, with two back-to-back scenarios.