The Vancouver Canucks have traded for defenceman Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I’m hoping he’s going to find his way. I said before, especially for defencemen, I’ve seen a lot of them (who have) a lot of ups and downs before you establish yourself and understand how to play night in and night out,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin prior to Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“He’s definitely capable of being a top-four defenceman. We’re just going to make sure he understands how we want to play, and then the coach is going to find a fit for him.”
Carolina will also send minor league forward Lane Pederson in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick while also retaining $400,000 of Bear’s salary in the deal.
“It’s always important when you’re working in a cap system here, and for us, being on LTIR, every dollar matters,” said Allvin of how important the retained salary was. “It was definitely a big part of the negotiation with Carolina, but I thought that this was a fair deal for both of us.”
Bear has not played a game this season after signing a one-year, $2.2 million deal with the Hurricanes this past off-season.
The 25-year-old was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Edmonton Oilers but was traded to Carolina in 2021 for forward Warren Foegele.
The right-shooting rearguard has 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points in 190 NHL games.
“I think he’s a very smart defenceman, and he showed early in his career in Edmonton that he’s a really good puck mover and transition defenceman there,” said Allvin.
“He’s still young, and if you look around the league, there is a lot of defenceman that. . . break through in this age. And I thought he was good in Carolina as well. Hopefully here he’s excited about the opportunity that we have to give him.”
Pederson has appeared in four games in the AHL for the Chicago Wolves (AHL) so far this season. In 44 career NHL games for the San Jose Sharks and the Arizona Coyotes, the 25-year-old has five points.