If the Vancouver Canucks want to improve their defence on the right side this season, they won't be doing it with Ethan Bear.
A report on the weekend from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested that Bear was close to signing a new contract after an offseason shoulder surgery kept him out of action to start the season. While the Canucks expressed interest in Bear, who played 61 games in Vancouver last season, other teams were in on the 26-year-old defenceman.
Now, ChekTV's Rick Dhaliwal has reported the Canucks are officially out and won't be signing Bear.
The Canucks could have re-signed Bear this past offseason as he was a restricted free agent and the Canucks had exclusive negotiating rights. They wanted to re-sign Bear until an injury at the 2023 World Hockey Championship threw a wrench into those plans.
Bear's shoulder injury required surgery and would keep him out of the lineup for six months, a timeline that should see him nearing his return this month. The Canucks, however, couldn't wait. They had repeatedly emphasized the importance of a strong start to the 2023-24 season and they couldn't afford to spend cap money on a defenceman that would miss the first two months.
So, Bear didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Canucks and became an unrestricted free agent.
Still, the Canucks wanted to bring Bear back once he was healthy, as they have a significant need on the right side of their defence. Bear was a capable partner for Hughes last season on the top pairing — signing Bear could have given the Canucks a top-four defenceman without spending other assets in a trade, like draft picks or prospects, and would presumably cost little against the salary cap considering he was coming off of surgery.
What the Canucks couldn't do, however, is offer term and that's what the Washington Capitals have reportedly offered Bear. A multi-year contract would give Bear a lot more security than a one-year deal.
The Canucks instead prioritized bringing in Nikita Zadorov to shore up their defence, trading away Anthony Beauvillier to create the necessary cap space, then moving third and fifth-round picks to the Calgary Flames for Zadorov.
If the Canucks want to make any further additions on defence, they'll need to look to the trade market again.
