I do not own your brand heater! So this is not a suggestion to do anything specific.
I thought about the scenario you are talking about, if I flushed my 10 year old hot water heater for the 1st time. So I called the factory and they said, yeh it might start dripping if I opened that faucet on the bottom for the 1st time. Some plumbing store told me you can do what you did. But I wonder what happens with the water that sort of stagnates there. I imagine if it can slowly drip in, then a slight amount may mix backwards. I wonder if that introduces mold and or bacteria into the water system?
So I asked the factory guy how to replace that if I did decide to drain it and then it would not seal back up. I think he said that I would have to grab the square plastic that houses the faucet handleraised piece and twist it out. But he said sometimes it cracks and does not come out cleanly. Then I have to break the plastic stuff apart somehow so that it will free up the thread so the new faucet assembly could be mounted. He did not say specifically how I could break up the plastic if it did not twist out perfectly. I wonder about what type of sealing agent is best at that juncture? Plumbers seal stuff with teflon tape? WHo knows?
I never did drain flush my hot water heater. I took the factory guys suggestion and just kept using it without ever flushing it. Did not want to risk a leak.