Ethan Bear could provide the Canucks defense with a major offensive assist, especially with puck possession
The Vancouver Canucks’ search for a defenseman is finally over. Well, for now.
After months of trying, Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford were finally able to pull Ethan Bear away from the Carolina Hurricanes. Bear arrives in Vancouver with AHL center Lane Pederson in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
The trade is surprisingly strong for Vancouver, which gets Bear at a discount thanks to Carolina’s reluctance to play it, and $400,000 in salary withholding. But make no mistake, Bear is an underrated top-four quality defenseman who showed flashes of his potential as a member of the Edmonton Oilers for three seasons.
Bear has been on the Canucks’ radar since the Benning administration, and for good reason. Bear’s underlying numbers as an Oiler were pretty good, providing the kind of two-way defense the Canucks blue line was desperate for.
Ethan Bear, acquired by VAN, is a puck-moving defenseman who never really fit in with CAR. The results were okay in a deep point, but he had better results both ways in a bigger role in EDM. Easy to forget, he played some of the greatest minutes in the NHL in 19-20. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/jC5FNUdxQc
—JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 28, 2022
Bear’s best season came during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, when he recorded 21 points in 71 games. But after his offensive numbers plummeted in 2021, the Oilers traded him for additional scoring depth in Warren Foegele.
As a member of the Hurricanes, Bear found some extra gear, but struggled to stay in coach Rod Brind’Amour’s roster due to the team’s already strong blue line. Bear was just another offensive weapon caught behind Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce on the Canes’ depth chart. Once Carolina acquired Brent Burns from the Sharks and former Canuck Jalen Chatfield began showing promise as a defensive-minded third-pairing option, Bear became the odd man out.
In Vancouver, Bear immediately improves the Canucks’ right side on both sides of the puck. The natural place for him would probably be first pairing with Quinn Hughes, but with Hughes nursing an injury, it’s more likely we’ll see Bear start out lining up next to Jack Rathbone or a flippant Kyle Burroughs.
Canucks Defense Depth Chart |
LD |
DR |
Coupling One |
Olivier Ekman-Larsson |
Tyler Myers |
pairing two |
Jack Rathbone |
Ethan Bear |
pairing three |
Kyle Burroughs |
Luke Schenn |
Healthy scratching |
Guillaume Brisbois |
|
IR |
Quinn Hughes |
|
LTIR |
Travis Dermott |
Tucker Poolman |
The Canucks finally see a scenario where they might be able to get a consistent offense from an outlet on their blue line who isn’t named Quinn Hughes. But Bear also provides Bruce Boudreau’s bench assist in an equally crucial spot; puck possession.
Add in the controllable years left after Bear’s contract expires this summer and the extra center depth at Pederson, and Vancouver’s depth map suddenly looks a little less thin.
That’s not to say this deal is a perfect deal considering the direction the team seems to be heading. Will Bear make the difference and turn the Canucks from a 1-5-2 team into a Stanley Cup contender? Of course not. Is it a good idea for a team near the bottom of the standings to trade draft picks? Not really.
But is the addition of Bear still a very neat deal that no doubt helps cement the weakest link on the Canucks roster? Absolutely.
With Bear on the way to Carolina, that still leaves the Canucks a bit shorthanded going into tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bear will likely make his Canucks debut Nov. 1 against the Devils.
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