Former Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers blueliner Ethan Bear hit the waiver wire today.
The 27-year-old is one of three former Canucks players available for free today. The others are goalie Mikey DiPietro, forward Will Lockwood, and veteran Justin Dowling.
The right-handed Bear was a fan-favourite with the Canucks and showed great chemistry with now-captain Quinn Hughes. He scored 16 points in 61 games with the team during the 2022-23 season.
The blueliner played for the Washington Capitals last season. He appeared in just 24 games and spent some time in the Player Assistance Program. Bear scored one goal and added three assists in those games.
Today:
Harkins (ANA)
DiPietro, Lettieri, Oesterle (BOS)
Lockwood (FLA)
Ward (LA)
Dowling, Hardman, Laberge, Legare, Willman (NJ)
Lycksell, Richard (PHI)
Bemstrom, Clurman, Gruden, Koppanen, Kral, Ludvig, Poulin (PIT)
Tomkins (TB)
Steeves (TOR)
Bear, Philp, Sgarbossa (WASH)— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 4, 2024
If a team does put a claim on Bear, they’ll absorb his contract, which carries a $2.062 million cap hit for next season. He’s also owed $2.75 million in real cash.
Lockwood is a former Canucks prospect who played 28 games with the team. The fast winger could never put it together and moved on to join the Florida Panthers, where he won a Stanley Cup last season.
DiPietro is also a former prospect who was rarely used by the team. He appeared in just three games for the Canucks across three years. The Bruins waived him shortly after grabbing ex-Canucks goalie Jiri Patera off waivers a few days ago.
The last former Canuck on waivers is Justin Dowling. The 34-year-old played 22 games with the team in the 2021-22 season. He spent last year with the New Jersey Devils, scoring one goal in two games.
Bear is the most notable name on the waiver wire. We will find out at 2 pm ET/11 am PT tomorrow whether any team has claimed the blueliner.