Carolina Hurricanes: The Promising Ethan Bear

With the Carolina roster having undergone a complete make-over, one of the major changes to the team has been on the back end. On July 28th, 2021, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Ethan Bear from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Warren Foegele. With the newly acquired right-hand shot defenseman coming off a down year in Edmonton, how does this work for the Hurricanes moving forward?

With the Hurricanes losing Dougie Hamilton to New Jersey in free agency, there was a hole on the blue-line that opened up and needed to be sustained. While Bear in himself is not a direct replacement for losing the elite offensive defenseman that Dougie was in Carolina, but with the potential Ethan Bear had shown during his time as an Oiler, there’s a lot to like.

At 5’11, 197 lbs, Bear is not the biggest of defensemen. He’s not going to bulldoze people and he’s not going to go looking for big hits. That is not to say that he is not capable of landing a large hit on an opponent, he is just not someone who looks for that big explosive hit that can cause momentum swings the way other defensemen would.

Bear is also not the strongest offensive producer in the world. With only 8 goals and 25 assists during his NHL career, he’s not going to be a point-per-game defenseman. His 125 game NHL career has only seen him collect 33 points, and only 8 of them were last year. Bear will not replace the offensive hole that Hamilton leaves.

So, you’re probably wondering to yourself “If he doesn’t hit and he doesn’t score, what was the point in the team going out to acquire this player?” Your answer? Ethan Bear’s defensive abilities are unparalleled.  He’s not going to give up fighting one on one board battles, and his incredible skating ability makes it difficult to beat him in a race. Unless you’re one of the fastest players in the league, Bear is going to be difficult to get past.

I did also say Bear isn’t a point-per-game defenseman, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a very talented player offensively. He’s got a great ability to straddle the blue line and is fantastic with moving the puck. He usually struggles to get the puck through traffic to the net, and often declines the option to shoot, but he provides a lot of options for the Carolina Hurricanes back end.

However, all of his on-ice stuff becomes rather obsolete when you see how fantastic a person Bear is. Being of Cree descent, Bear has overcome racism his entire life to reach the level he is now at. He was abused badly after the Oilers were swept by Winnipeg in the playoffs but has never done anything to deserve this.

Since being traded this summer, Bear has already been out and bought equipment for others. Bear is a fantastic person above all else. Regardless of what happens on the ice, nothing will ever be able to speak to the kind of person Ethan Bear is and how he handles himself. One of the best people in the NHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes acquired his blossoming young talent.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What did you think of the Ethan Bear trade?