Sharks’ Nikolai Kovalenko to return after missing nine games with lower-body injury

San Jose Sharks right winger Nikolai Kovalenko will make his return to the lineup Thursday versus the Colorado Avalanche after missing the past nine games due to a lower-body injury, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News.

Sidelined since late January, Kovalenko has made 17 appearances with the Sharks this season in which he has scored once and added seven assists for eight points coupled with two penalty minutes and a minus-one mark.

In early December, the Sharks acquired Kovalenko from Colorado as part of the deal that sent former goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche. Combined with his 28 games in Colorado this season, Kovalenko has totaled 16 points counting five goals and 11 assists through 45 appearances alongside 12 penalty minutes and a minus-eight rating.

A 25-year-old native of Raleigh, N.C., Kovalenko was originally chosen by the Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. A dual citizen, Kovalenko represented Russia at the 2019 World Juniors where through six outings he finished with one goal and two assists for three points en route to a bronze medal victory. Kovalenko also won silver with Russia at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Kovalenko rejoins a rebuilding Sharks squad that has won its past two outings but finds itself at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 17-37-9 record and 43 points.

San Jose has also been one of the more active teams leading up to the March 7 NHL trade deadline. Earlier Thursday, the Sharks dealt center Nico Sturm and seventh-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round selection. A day earlier, San Jose moved a fifth-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Vincent Desharnais.