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Sonny Milano is looking to make a comeback with the Washington Capitals in 2025-26 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Capitals’ Sonny Milano Looks to Make Comeback in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Frank Mills | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 12:45 PM ET

Last season was a lost one for Sonny Milano. In 2024-25, the 29-year-old Washington Capitals left wing started with a subpar showing at training camp, some early-season benchings, and then an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 70 games. After a failed comeback for the playoffs at the end of the season, he has been skating with teammates during informal sessions this summer and looks poised for a comeback. He’s returned to camp looking fit, fast, and determined to win a spot on this team.

If he’s healthy, Milano could provide veteran experience to the bottom six, as well as speed and skill that could be useful up and down the lineup. His motivation for performing well in this preseason has never been higher. He’s entering the final year of a three-year contract, and if he doesn’t make the Capitals’ opening-night roster, he’ll have to bide his time once again in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Starts and Stops in Columbus and Anaheim

Milano was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 2017-18, he made his jump to the NHL, playing in 55 games and scoring 22 points. In his five seasons with the Blue Jackets, he made the opening night roster in three seasons, but spent a good deal of time with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland. In total, he played in 116 NHL games over five years with Columbus. In Feb. 2020, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.

Milano played in only six games with Anaheim during the 2020-21 season and was sent to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, on a long-term injury conditioning loan. His first real season with the Ducks, 2021-22, saw him set career highs in games played (66) and points (34). Despite this performance, he was not offered a contract and was released as a free agent. He attended the Calgary Flames training camp on a professional tryout contract, but failed to earn a spot on the team.

A Fresh Start in Washington

After the start of the 2022-23 season, the Capitals signed Milano to a one-year, $750,000 show-me contract and assigned him to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He played five games in Hershey before cracking the Capitals’ lineup and remaining there through the remainder of the season. He made the most of his call-up, finishing with 33 points in 64 games, which were sixth in goals and seventh in points on the team. This performance led to a three-year contract extension worth $1.9 million per season. He established himself as a fan favorite. Besides his wild mop of hair that led to a Capitals Chia Pet giveaway, fans loved his bursts of speed and deft skill handling the puck.

In 2023-24, Milano played in 49 games, collecting a career-high 15 goals (while shooting 30 percent) and the first positive plus/minus rating of his career. He played well in different roles throughout the lineup, despite missing 27 games to an upper-body injury.

A Season to Forget

At the start of the 2024-25 season, Milano’s 10th as a professional, fans and media predicted that the Long Island, NY native would pick up where he left off now that he was healthy again. Head coach Spencer Carbery, however, was not impressed with Milano’s play in camp. The coach described him as “just okay” and challenged him to “ramp up” his play. What followed was a disappointing preseason, nine consecutive healthy scratches, and then the upper-body injury that sank the rest of his season.

On Nov. 6, 2024, Milano took a hit from Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Although the play didn’t seem serious at the time, it kept him out of action for nearly a year. He worked hard to come back, spending as much time as he could around the team. He skated in light drills with the team in January and then donned a regular practice jersey in late February after four months of non-contact hockey. Nine days later, the Capitals announced that he had suffered “a fairly significant setback” and would not be coming off injured reserve.

In July, Milano skated in the Shoulder Check Showcase, a charitable hockey event that supports mental health initiatives. Later, he began showing up at the Capitals’ practice facility for informal skates with his teammates. He looked like his old self again: strong, fast, and dynamic.

Yes, Call it a Comeback

Ten months after his injury, it looks like he’s back. On Sep. 22, in the Capitals’ first preseason game against the Boston Bruins, Milano was electric, notching two goals and two assists on a line with Hendrix Lapierre and Anthony Beauvillier. He showed off the great hands he’s been known for all his career, snapping a laser of a backhand top-shelf on his first goal and scoring off a breakaway on his second.

Milano is looking to earn a spot back in a Capitals’ lineup that is brimming with young talent looking to do the same. Andrew Cristall, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Ethen Frank, and Justin Sourdif are all trying to win a spot in the bottom six. Cristall nearly took Milano’s spot last season and was the last player cut before the season’s start. He returned to junior and dominated.

Milano is a popular player among teammates and fans. If he makes this Capitals team, he’ll add depth and skill as well as some veteran experience. If his first preseason game is any indication, it’s not time to write him off just yet.