The Capitals have placed winger Ethen Frank on injured reserve, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. The placement is retroactive to Tuesday, when he left their 1-0 loss to the Stars with an undisclosed injury. As a result, he’s been ruled out for Washington’s next two games and will be eligible for activation on Nov. 5 against the Blues.
Frank needed assistance from the team’s trainers down the tunnel with less than two minutes left in the game. He attempted a check on Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen but failed to move him off the puck and took the worst of the collision (video via B/R Open Ice).
That was Frank’s third appearance of the season. He’s been recalled twice since clearing waivers and heading to AHL Hershey at the beginning of the campaign. The 27-year-old has recorded an assist, three shots on goal, and a pair of hits while averaging 11:18 of ice time per game, slotting into fourth-line duties with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime. It’s his second taste of NHL action after making his debut for the Caps last year. The high-end AHL goal-scorer notched four tallies and seven points in 24 showings for Washington in 2024-25.
They haven’t yet filled Frank’s roster spot, but will likely do so before tomorrow’s game against the Islanders to give themselves an extra forward. Likely recall options include first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko and the newly signed Brett Leason. They’re rostering 13 right now, but Dylan Strome is unlikely to play due to the lower-body injury that kept him out of the Dallas game. He’s listed as day-to-day and skated in a non-contact jersey at today’s practice, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.
Miroshnichenko is not a recall option for the Capitals. He’s been out with an upper body injury for almost 3 weeks now.