Ex-Oiler Ethan Bear reportedly set to sign two-year deal with Washington Capitals

Ethan Bear has been without a hockey home to start this season after shoulder surgery in the offseason.

But Bear is nearing his return, reportedly set to sign a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported Tuesday on Insider Trading, as transcribed by RMNB.

The final details and some of the logistics are still being ironed out but it does appear that Ethan Bear will join the Washington Capitals and they emerged among a group of teams that included his former team, the Vancouver Canucks. I think the Maple Leafs at least inquired there too and some others but [the Capitals] offered him a two-year contract and it looks like that two-year deal will come in the neighborhood of $2 million once it’s completed. Bear, of course, is coming off of shoulder surgery in the offseason from an injury suffered last year at the World Hockey Championship while playing for Team Canada. The opportunity to play somewhere like Washington with a little bit of security ultimately is going to be what takes him to DC.

Bear, 26, was drafted by the Oilers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, breaking in with the club in the 2017-18 season, and on a full time basis the following campaign. He enjoyed much success playing on the Oilers’ top pair with Darnell Nurse, where he demonstrated his high hockey IQ and strong puck skills to get himself out of trouble.

What always ailed Bear was an inability to stay healthy, and in the summer of 2021, he was traded by the Oilers to the Carolina Hurricanes for Warren Foegele. He had an up-and-down season there, before a resurgence lasst year with the Vancouver Canucks.

Now, with 251 NHL games under his belt, it appears he’ll look to regain a foothold in the league with a Capitals team that is admittedly deep on the blue line.