The Capitals are expected to bring up another forward with Mantha ailing and the team shorthanded on the road.
With Anthony Mantha on the shelf and not with the team after being struck in the head by a puck, the Washington Capitals are not only in need of an extra forward but a spark. That said, could it be time for Ivan Miroshnichenko or Ethen Frank to make their NHL debuts?
Miroshnichenko and Frank are just a couple of several call-up options for the Capitals, who are expected to make a recall for their back-to-back series against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders over the weekend.
Miroshnichenko, who terminated his KHL deal in June to get a jumpstart on his NHL dreams, has been acclimating well to the AHL game as he begins his North American pro career with the AHL's Hershey Bears.
Through 11 games in the AHL this season, the Russian has two goals and four assists for six points, as well as 22 shots on goal (good for 14th among AHL rookies). He has primarily been playing third-line minutes, showing chemistry alongside the likes of Pierrick Dube and Hendrix Lapierre, who has enjoyed an extended stay up in Washington with Nicklas Backstrom stepping away from the game of hockey.
Bringing up Miroshnichenko could be exactly what the Capitals, who are still struggling to score at 5-on-5, need, especially as Alex Ovechkin's woes continue. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound winger loves to shoot the puck and uses his speed and size to his advantage, and he doesn't shy away from playing a physical game, either.
Ultimately, injecting him into the lineup and bringing in more youth, and a player hungry to make his mark at the highest level, could ignite something.
However, he does have ways to go and is still adapting to the North American game, and there are other options like Frank, who has been waiting for his NHL opportunity, has five goals and three assists for eight points in 11 games and brings speed and top-6 experience.
Don't count out right wing Dube, either, who has four goals and four assists so far and has showcased his versatility and scoring prowess.
Then, there are the more experienced options, like Joe Snively, who has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 11 games, former regular Nicolas Aube-Kubel (one goal, two assists), Mike Vecchione (four goals, three assists) and even fourth-year AHLer and Virginia native Alex Limoges (two goals, eight assists).