Canucks have "big-time interest" in Ethan Bear but might get outbid: report
The Vancouver Canucks want to sign Ethan Bear, and the feeling appears to be mutual for the 26-year-old defenceman.
A free agent after the Canucks didn’t tender him a qualifying offer following offseason shoulder surgery, Bear is skating on his own in Kelowna. Bear is nearly healthy enough to play, and according to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, his agent will be talking contract with NHL teams next week.
Speaking on today’s edition of Donnie and Dhali, Dhaliwal reported that 4-5 teams are interested in Bear but that the Canucks are among three teams showing “big-time interest.”
Interested teams will be allowed to watch Bear skate in Kelowna, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, so perhaps a trip to the BC Interior is in Canucks management’s future.
Despite mutual interest, the dreaded salary cap appears to once again be an issue for the Canucks. They cleared cap space by dumping Anthony Beauvillier’s $4.15 million contract but quickly filled most of it a day later with Nikita Zadorov’s $3.75 million deal.
That means the Canucks are vulnerable to a rival team outbidding them for Bear.
“One week ago I thought the Canucks were the frontrunners to sign him, I don’t get that feeling anymore,” said Dhaliwal.
"One week ago I thought the #Canucks were the front runners to sign him, I don't get that feeling anymore.."@DhaliwalSports with an update on Ethan Bear and new video of Bear working out in Kelowna.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ pic.twitter.com/TgPoq64YrE
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) December 7, 2023
We’ll see just how high teams are willing to go for Bear, who is coming off a season that saw him score 16 points (3-13-16) in 61 games.
Just four days ago, Friedman said the Canucks were “probably the team to beat” on Bear, despite already having six defencemen on the roster making at least $3 million.
Adding Bear could help balance things out, as Vancouver has just two right-shot defenders in their top six — Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers. Then there’s the reality of injuries in the NHL, which always seem to be extra prevalent on the back end. Adding another blueliner to the mix couldn’t hurt.