After earning the first NHL call-up of his career at age 26, Ethen Frank has made the most of the opportunity to prove himself with the Washington Capitals. Frank slotted into the Caps’ third line just hours after the recall and has dressed in every game since, recording three goals and one assist in 10 contests.
Hitting the 10-game mark against the Ottawa Senators Thursday marked another milestone in Frank’s career, making him eligible for waivers once again. After successfully waiving Frank in the preseason, the Capitals were free to recall him and send him down as they pleased, so long as he played less than 10 total games and spent fewer than 30 total days on an NHL roster. Now, Frank would have to clear waivers before returning to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters Saturday that Frank’s excellent play had forced the Capitals’ hand — even if keeping him up gave them less flexibility, they weren’t willing to take him off the roster just yet.
“He’s been excellent,” Carbery said. “I’ve really liked his game for the most part, in all the games he’s played. Could make a strong argument that he’s deserved more minutes and more opportunity.
“And we are well aware of the 10 games. At this point, he’s still got to earn everything that he gets — like he has throughout his entire career and like he has his entire time up here since being called up. But he’s obviously well aware that now he’s no longer waiver exempt. He’s put us in a tough spot. We continue to play him. And now we don’t want to lose a player like that.”
Since his arrival in DC, Frank’s three goals tie for third-most among Capitals players, with only Alex Ovechkin and Pierre-Luc Dubois (4g) scoring more over that span. His underlying numbers are similarly strong: at five-on-five with Frank on the ice, the Caps have the upper hand in scoring chances (49-40), high-danger chances (22-11) and expected goals (4.90-3.32), per Natural Stat Trick.
Frank’s waivers eligibility could put the Capitals in a sticky position when Sonny Milano returns from injury. After sustaining an upper-body injury on November 6, Milano has spent the last several months recovering, continuing to practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday. With a full 23-man roster and no waivers-exempt players, the Capitals would have to send someone through waivers before activating Milano from injured reserve — perhaps even Milano himself.
Frank’s continued stint in Washington could also potentially keep him out of the AHL postseason, as all players must be on an AHL roster on the March 7 trade deadline to be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs. In order to play in Hershey this postseason, Frank would need to clear waivers before the deadline, and Capitals would then need to use one of their four permitted post-deadline call-ups if they wanted to bring him back to the NHL.
The Caps faced a similar conundrum last season, opting to keep Mike Sgarbossa in the NHL past the 10-game threshold. Sgarbossa ultimately remained on Washington’s roster through the remainder of the season and did not participate in Hershey’s 2025 Calder Cup run.
