Traded to Carolina by the Edmonton Oilers last summer, Ethan Bear’s first season with the Hurricanes was hampered by a bout with COVID-19. As the 25-year-old blueliner looks to bounce back this season, speculation suggests he could soon be changing teams again.
On Sept. 18, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre tweeted the Vancouver Canucks could have Bear on their radar. The next day, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun included the Hurricanes rearguard among the Ottawa Senators’ potential trade targets.
Both clubs could use a defenseman with good puck transition skills on the right side of their respective bluelines.
The Canucks have 32-year-olds Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn projected as their top-four right-side defensemen. In a recent interview with MacIntyre, general manager Patrik Allvin didn’t rule out improving his blueline corps. Meanwhile, the Senators have Travis Hamonic, Artem Zub and Nikita Zaitsev as their potential right-side rearguards.
Despite finishing with 14 points in 58 games last season, Bear and the Hurricanes avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.2-million contract. There’s been no indication he’s available but that could change if he has difficulty holding down a roster spot on their deep defense corps during training camp and preseason play.
Cap Friendly indicates the Senators carry $5.69 million of projected cap space so they could easily afford Bear’s contract. It would be more complicated for the Canucks. They are $2.75 million above the cap but have cap relief with Micheal Ferland and his $3.5-million cap hit on long-term injury reserve.
