Canucks will be "aggressive" in pursuit of Ethan Bear: report
The noise around the Vancouver Canucks’ interest in free-agent defenceman Ethan Bear continues to intensify.
Bear was recently seen skating in Kelowna and seems to be getting close to game-ready, meaning a return to the NHL could be coming soon.
The Canucks remain interested in the right-handed defenceman, and they’re expected to make a strong push for his services, as per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal. While there’s been a lot of speculation of a possible reunion, Bear’s return to Vancouver is not a guarantee as there are other suitors.
“The Vancouver Canucks are one of a lot of teams after Ethan Bear. I’ve been told the Canucks will be aggressive when it comes to signing Bear,” Dhaliwal said on the Donnie & Dhali show today.
The Canucks’ defence corps took a hit last week when it was discovered that the hulking Carson Soucy will likely be out for at least six weeks with a lower-body injury. This has left the team very thin on the back end, and thus the search for reinforcements continues.
“They’re working the phones trying to get a defenceman right now,” Dhaliwal reported in the same segment. This is something that has been known for a few weeks now, as the Canucks have been looking to the trade market for help.
"The #Canucks are one of many teams in on Ethan Bear.."@DhaliwalSports updated the latest with Ethan Bear and a possible timeline for him to sign somewhere.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ
🎥Cred: @RinkWideVAN pic.twitter.com/CGW4kW6FNM
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) November 20, 2023
The big obstacle that the Canucks will need to maneuver around in any acquisition is the cost. The team is strapped for cap space, with CapFriendly projecting not a single dollar in cap space.
However, Soucy’s injury being more serious than anticipated means moving the defenceman to long-term injury reserve is now an option. This would free up the necessary cap space to sign Bear to a contract, but the two are on similar timelines to return to game action, potentially making things complicated down the road.
A quicker solution would be for the Canucks to free up cap space through a trade, something that is easier said than done.
If there’s one thing working in the Canucks’ favour, it’s that the longer this situation drags on, the easier it is to fit Bear on the team’s books. That’s because they will only need to pay him from the time he’s on the roster onwards, and his salary will be prorated to reflect that.
For example, if the right-handed player signs on January 9 at the midway mark of the Canucks’ season, the team will only need to pay him for the remaining 41 games he’s projected to be on the roster. This means his cap hit would only be half of his contract’s annual average value.
Bear had 16 points in 61 games last season. The right-handed defenceman played an average of 18:32 per night and showed some impressive chemistry with superstar Quinn Hughes.