Replaceable staple cartridge with retractable knife

A surgical stapling device comprising:

• a tool assembly including:
• an anvil;
• a cartridge assembly including a staple cartridge having a cartridge body, pushers, staples, and an actuation sled assembly, the cartridge body defining a knife slot and staple receiving pockets positioned on each side of the knife slot, each of the staple receiving pockets receiving one of the staples and one of the pushers, the actuation sled assembly including:
• an actuation sled including a central portion and spaced wedge members positioned on opposite sides of the central portion, the central portion received and movable within the knife slot;
• a knife bar engaged with the central portion of the actuation sled, the knife bar including a cutting edge positioned above the actuation sled and extending from the knife slot;
• and
• a retractor link formed of a resilient material and having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion of the retractor link defining a longitudinal axis, the retractor link having a non-deformed condition and a deformed condition, wherein in the non-deformed condition, the proximal portion of the retractor link bends outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the distal portion of the retractor link and outwardly of the knife slot, and in the deformed condition, the proximal portion of the retractor link is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the distal portion of the retractor link, the proximal portion of the retractor link including an engaging member;
• and
• a drive assembly including a flexible drive beam and a working end secured to the flexible drive beam, the drive assembly being movable between retracted and advanced positions in relation to the tool assembly to eject the staples from the cartridge body, the drive assembly defining a recess that receives the engaging member of the retractor link when the retractor link is in the deformed condition to couple the knife bar of the actuation sled assembly to the drive assembly.