SAN JOSE – Veteran defenseman Nick Leddy’s NHL career appeared to be in limbo after he was placed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks in January.

Over two months later, Leddy, interestingly enough, is once again entrenched in the Sharks’ lineup, becoming an unexpectedly key piece of the team’s blue line as San Jose tries to chase down its first playoff appearance in seven years.

After not playing an NHL game for over eight weeks, Leddy is expected to dress for his seventh straight game Wednesday when the Sharks host the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks to continue a crucial homestand.

Leddy, who turned 35 on March 20, led all Sharks skaters with 22:32 in ice time during their 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday at SAP Center.

Leddy’s ice time matched a season high, and all came at even strength, as he blocked three shots and had a pretty backhand assist on Macklin Celebrini’s second goal of the first period, giving San Jose a 3-2 lead.

“He’s meant a lot to our whole group, but especially our younger group,” Celebrini said of Leddy. “Just his leadership, just the guy he is. He’s one of the best guys, and we’ve gotten pretty close to him.

“It sucked when he was getting sent down, but now that he’s up, I think you can see just the way he plays, how solid he is. It was nice to see that pass come through.”

Leddy’s sauce to Mack from last night is our March Connection of the Month. 🙌@ConnectionIT / #WeSolveIT pic.twitter.com/LHcCm7bp95

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 31, 2026

Leddy has averaged 18:12 in ice time over the last six games and has been paired recently with rookie Sam Dickinson. A veteran of 1,067 career NHL games, Leddy, in the eyes of coach Ryan Warsofsky, is playing more of a meat-and-potatoes game now than he was at the midway point of the season when he made too many unforced errors and was often a healthy scratch. The Sharks were also carrying eight or nine defensemen at the time and were giving Dickinson a long leash.

Leddy now has five assists in 25 games this season, averaging just under 18 minutes per game.

“He’s not trying to do too much,” with his puck decisions, Warsofsky said of Leddy. “He’s making the simple one, and he’s really calmed the rest of the (defense corps) down as well, as far as how you need to play this time of year.

“He’s won a lot of hockey games in his career. He’s played the playoffs in his career. He knows what winning looks like.”

Leddy never lost faith in himself, even after being placed on waivers twice in seven months.

“I think I knew I could always play. That was never a doubt in my head,” Leddy said. “For me, it’s just getting the chance. When I came into this league, spots were never given; they’re earned, and you’ve got to earn it every day.”

The Blues, in a salary cap move, placed him on waivers last July, when the Sharks picked him up, enjoying priority as the NHL’s last-place team from the year before. Leddy is now in the final year of a four-year, $16 million contract.

Leddy’s third and final year in St. Louis had its challenges, as he missed over three months with an undisclosed injury that left him wondering, at times, when he would be back to full strength again.

Leddy said the mental challenges were perhaps greater than the physical ones, as he was out for an extended period for one of the few times in his lengthy career. He played just 31 of 82 games.

“I think more mentally at the time, being away from the guys and not having that facet of the game was definitely hard,” Leddy said. “The mental side of it was probably the most difficult. The physical side has come back. I figured it would for the most part.”

Leddy received a warm reception from Blues fans when the Sharks were in St. Louis last Thursday.

“It was nice,” Leddy said. “The fans there have always been great to me. They’re great hockey fans. It’s always fun getting back to play against friends and places you played.”

The situation that Leddy was in with the Blues last season is somewhat similar to the challenges the Sharks face now.

Just before Leddy returned to the Blues lineup on Feb. 4 from his injury, St. Louis had 52 points and was seven points out of a playoff spot with 29 games left to play.

From that point forward, though, the Blues went 20-5-4, including a 12-game win streak, and captured the second wild card spot in the west with 96 points, finishing ahead of the Calgary Flames due to having one more regulation time victory.

The Sharks’ playoff outlook has brightened in recent days as they’ve collected five of a possible six points in their last three games before Wednesday. They have 10 games left and enter their game against the Ducks in 11th place in the Western Conference with 75 points, two points back of the Nashville Predators for the final wild card spot, with two games in hand.

Leddy said for Sharks players who have never been to the NHL playoffs before, which is about half of the team’s roster, it’s about “controlling what you control. Take it shift by shift, game by game, and focus on the next day when that day comes.”