"It's been a long time, but I think it was handled the proper way," Karlsson said after the morning skate Saturday. "You never want to sit out, but I think everybody around me did a good job in managing it and making sure that when the time was ready I was going to be good to go and I shouldn't have to deal with this anymore moving forward, hopefully. I shouldn't jinx anything, but you never know.
"It's been very frustrating and annoying at times, but I guess that's the process of the whole thing. In a way I'm happy I got to go through it in case it ever pops up again and you know how to deal with it earlier and don't get to this point. I'm happy to finally be back into the games and start building on something and moving forward."
Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman, missed San Jose's last three games before the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose on Jan. 26. He took part in the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills and the Pacific Division's 10-4 loss to the Central Division in the first All-Star Game semifinal but has missed San Jose's six games since the All-Star Break.
"We wanted to make sure we took the right approach," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "I think everyone is comfortable that he's ready. It will be nice to have him back."
The Sharks (34-17-7) lost their first two games without Karlsson, then won the next six before losing 5-1 at home to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. They are second in the Pacific Division, two points behind the Calgary Flames.
Karlsson, who has 43 points (three goals, 40 assists) in 47 games, returned to practice on Wednesday; it was his first full skate since Jan. 14. He also skated after the Sharks held their morning skate before the game against Washington.
"He's just got to get his timing back, get comfortable again," DeBoer said. "It's not easy; he's been out a month, and it's going to take a little while."
The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Sharks after playing his first nine in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, who traded him to San Jose on Sept. 13. He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and will be eligible to sign an eight-year contract with San Jose after the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.
Karlsson will be paired with defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
"We know we're going to play a lot of minutes, we're going to play against the other teams' top lines," Karlsson said. "We're going to have to be good. I think both of our games are in a good spot right now, so I'm excited to try and figure out what we can do out there to try to be as successful as we possibly can. For me it's just fun to be back."
Karlsson, who entered Saturday averaging 24:59 of ice time, 10th in the NHL, said his playing time will not be limited.
"No, we'll see how it goes," he said. "Every game is different, too. [I'm] not going to treat this game any different just because I'm in the lineup. It's going to be the same as usual for this group. I know where I fit in and everybody else does as well. We'll see where the game takes us."
NHL.com correspondent Eric Gilmore contributed to this report
