Canucks could risk letting Bear walk by not qualifying him: report
The Vancouver Canucks may be having a change of heart with regard to Ethan Bear.
The 25-year-old defenceman is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. The Canucks can retain his rights by simply extending a qualifying offer matching the $2.2 million salary he earned last season by June 30.
But the Canucks may not choose to re-sign the right-shot defenceman, according to a report this afternoon by CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
Dhaliwal said his sources are telling him it’s “not a slam dunk” that the Canucks will offer Bear a qualifying offer. Qualifying Bear was “not an issue” prior to his shoulder injury suffered at the IIHF World Championship, Dhaliwal added.
“Agent Jason Davidson continues to talk with the Canucks about Bear; one thing is clear, the long-term injury to Bear has made his contract situation much tougher to deal with,” Dhaliwal said in a Monday afternoon tweet.
Canucks tidbits
Qualifying defenseman Ethan Bear before he got injured at the World Hockey Champi https://t.co/mjXVt665cz via @DhaliwalSports
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 19, 2023
Bear is out for six months after undergoing shoulder surgery, the team announced last week. The injury will not only keep Bear out until December, but it’ll also hinder his off-season training.
The Canucks and Bear could agree to a new contract before the qualifying offer deadline. But if the June 30 deadline comes and goes without a qualifying offer, Bear will become an unrestricted free agent and will be able to sign with any team in the league.
The Canucks do have more cap space to play with following the buyout of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but they were also already paper thin on defence as it was. And if they let Bear walk, they’ll need to replace him.
Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, and Tyler Myers are the only defencemen the Canucks have under contract for next season that played at least 20 NHL games in 2022-23.
Bear was acquired by Canucks GM Patrik Allvin last October, in a trade that sent Lane Pederson and a fifth-round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes. In 61 games with Vancouver, Bear tallied 16 points (3-13-16) and averaged 18:32 of ice time.
Dhaliwal also provided updates on a trio of pending unrestricted free agents in defencemen Kyle Burroughs and Noah Juulsen, and goaltender Collin Delia.
The Canucks have made a contract offer to Burroughs, after a “long period of no talks” with the Langley product. They’re also talking contract with Juulsen, a veteran blueliner from Surrey who played primarily in Abbotsford last season but filled in capably with Vancouver as well.
The odds of the Canucks re-signing Delia are getting “slimmer and slimmer” according to Dhaliwal. Thatcher Demko will be Vancouver’s No. 1 goalie next season, while Arturs Silovs and Spencer Martin are also under contract. It remains to be seen if the Canucks will find another backup for Demko, or run with Silovs after his impressive showing at the World Championship.