The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Matt Benning has undergone successful hip surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season. Benning’s estimated recovery time is about five months, meaning he’s anticipated to be ready in time for the Sharks’ training camp later in 2024.
Benning had not played since Dec. 3, and no firm indication of a return timeline was ever given out in that span. This is a difficult development for both the Sharks and Benning. Seeing as Benning is under contract at $1.25M through 2025-26, this injury does not pose a serious risk to Benning’s financial future, as he’s already secured a long-term deal as a free agent. That being said, this injury deals a blow to Benning’s personal goals for the 2023-24 campaign.
When healthy, Benning plays as the Sharks’ number-four defenseman, averaging 18:28 time-on-ice per game. He’s also a leading penalty killer for the club, averaging nearly three minutes of ice time short-handed per game.
In Benning’s absence, the Sharks have leaned more heavily on 23-year-old Ty Emberson, who they claimed off of waivers from the New York Rangers. He doesn’t offer the experience Benning does, but his play has begun to seriously improve in this most recent stretch of games, including in each of the team’s last three games, where Emberson has cleared 20 minutes of ice time with ease.
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