Dempster ruptured his ACL in the round 22 match against Essendon last year but has made a steady recovery since.
He was given the final tick of approval from surgeon Ian Henderson on Wednesday afternoon.
"I saw the surgeon and finally got the green light to be able to play a game. I'm definitely lining up this week," he said.
Dempster missed the finals series and the first nine weeks of the home and away season, but he says it still felt like a long and frustrating time off.
"It's hard to explain how it feels. If you told someone they are out for nine months, they might think it is not that long. I suppose I've only missed 10 weeks but I can't wait to get back and get into it," he said.
Dempster paid tribute to teammates Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard, who have both made successful returns from knee reconstructions, and said he got through by setting small goals for himself.
"It would do your head in if you thought, 'Okay it's nine months' and you start again," he said.
"It's the little goals along the way that have kept me sane. Being able to ride the bike after two weeks was my first goal. After that it was being able to run, then it was being able to do a bit of agility, then it was to kick the footy. Those are the steps along the way that have kept me sane."
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