RWJC Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 Canucks maintaining strong interest in free agent Ethan Bear by Jonathan Bailey 8 hours ago The Vancouver Canucks just added reinforcements to the right side of their defense by trading with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Mark Friedman, but they’re not satisfied just yet. Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal has maintained for a while now that the organization remains interested in free agent Ethan Bear, and that reportedly hasn’t changed even after the addition of Friedman. Bear, 26, played in 61 games for the Canucks last year, but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer as he continues to recover and rehab for now from a summer shoulder surgery. Link to rest of article: https://thecanuckway.com/2023/10/18/canucks-strong-interest-ethan-bear/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Miss Korea Posted October 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 19, 2023 I know this forum had a bad rap on Bear last year but he did everything expected from a 3rd pairing defenceman. I don't know if he deserves $1.8M again after the surgery but he deserves to play here again. 1 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWJC Posted October 19, 2023 Author Share Posted October 19, 2023 He has the cheapest acquisition cost of any prospective Dman add at the moment too. If we had better options I’d pursue those but you’re right about his play and what he offers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post -AJ- Posted October 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 19, 2023 He was overpaid IMO, but I'd love him as a 3RD for a good price. Would be a big upgrade over Juulsen. We'll see how Friedman does in that role in the meantime. 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devron Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 I like Bear. I hope we sign him for 1 million or something for the rest of the season kind of thing once he’s healthy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 Bear and Soucy on the 3rd pair looks good to me. How has his recovery been going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Pettersson Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 (edited) Let's see how Friedman plays. He may surprise us. He's the same size as Bear but a much better skater. Not sure about his defensive play. Let's see how he does on this road trip... Edited October 19, 2023 by Elias Pettersson 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenTercel Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 By the time Bear is ready, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least a few injuries on the back end...so why not? I feel bad for the guy and his situation. For his sake I hope he can parlay a shortened season somewhere into a more secure deal in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNucks1 Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 wonder whats happening with the garland trade if the plan is to trade him and sign bear, but probably swap cap with a roster player, gunna be interesting 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCanuck12 Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Elias Pettersson said: Let's see how Friedman plays. He may surprise us. He's the same size as Bear but a much better skater. Not sure about his defensive play. Let's see how he does on this road trip... Friedman is much more inclined to play a gritty, truculent-type game as well, which I'm sure he'll show us as soon as he gets in the lineup. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 3 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said: Let's see how Friedman plays. He may surprise us. He's the same size as Bear but a much better skater. Not sure about his defensive play. Let's see how he does on this road trip... 2 hours ago, CaptainCanuck12 said: Friedman is much more inclined to play a gritty, truculent-type game as well, which I'm sure he'll show us as soon as he gets in the lineup. The difference is here is that Bear has always had a job in the NHL. Yeah, he's been bounced around, but had he not gotten major surgery, he would've been scooped up as a valuable RHD in July. Friedman has not been able to hold down a role in the big leagues. He's been put through waivers numerous times and claimed once. The hope here is that he'll punch above his weight not just literally but figuratively too. But if we sign Bear later on and he's in decent shape, Friedman won't have a spot on the top six. Maybe the 7th if he's solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUndaCanuck Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 Would be tough coming straight into a hot season but Bear was really up and down for me last year. I think we've got enough bottom guys and not sure how we'd have money for him anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Pettersson Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 40 minutes ago, Miss Korea said: The difference is here is that Bear has always had a job in the NHL. Yeah, he's been bounced around, but had he not gotten major surgery, he would've been scooped up as a valuable RHD in July. Friedman has not been able to hold down a role in the big leagues. He's been put through waivers numerous times and claimed once. The hope here is that he'll punch above his weight not just literally but figuratively too. But if we sign Bear later on and he's in decent shape, Friedman won't have a spot on the top six. Maybe the 7th if he's solid. Allvin was the one who picked him up from Philly. He played for Allvin in 2021-2022 and even played in all of the Pittsburgh playoff games that year. Allvin then left to join the Canucks and Friedman was then bounced around on waivers. Obviously, Allvin sees something in him to completely give up on Rathbone. I don't doubt that if Bear comes back he'll probably get a starting spot on the team. But IMO Friedman plays more of a Tocchet style game, so he may have the upper hand. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 19 minutes ago, Elias Pettersson said: Allvin was the one who picked him up from Philly. He played for Allvin in 2021-2022 and even played in all of the Pittsburgh playoff games that year. Allvin then left to join the Canucks and Friedman was then bounced around on waivers. Obviously, Allvin sees something in him to completely give up on Rathbone. I don't doubt that if Bear comes back he'll probably get a starting spot on the team. But IMO Friedman plays more of a Tocchet style game, so he may have the upper hand. To that end, Juulsen also plays a Tocchet-style game (defending with your muscles), but he's killing our offense. Allvin and the chipmunks penguins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goal_thecup Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 (edited) I like Bear a lot, as a person. As a hockey player, he's a muffin. If he fits and we give him a contract, please let it be cheap and only for one year. If he doesn't want a Prove It contract to make the Canucks, he can go cut bait. Edited October 19, 2023 by Goal_thecup 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJockitch Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 46 minutes ago, Goal_thecup said: I like Bear a lot, as a person. As a hockey player, he's a muffin. If he fits and we give him a contract, please let it be cheap and only for one year. If he doesn't want a Prove It contract to make the Canucks, he can go cut bait. If he comes back he will be playing with Soucy or Cole which should mitigate the lack of physicality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wai_lai416 Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 I don’t care if we sign bear or not but I find it funny people say he can play on the 3rd pairing with soucy. Which is fine, but if people are complaining about bear last year 1.8mil is overpaid.. can someone explain to me how soucy is a great signing at 3.25x3 if ppl are suggesting he should play with bear on the 3rd pairing?? Bear 1.8 overpaid 3rd pairing soucy great signing 3.25 3rd pairing.. baffling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Provost Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 We don’t need another 3rd pairing D. We already have a bunch of guys who are 3rd pairing D having to play higher in the lineup (Myers, Soucy, Cole, Juulsen, We need a guy for the top four. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJockitch Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 Actually we need a second or third pairing right D. We only have one serviceable one now. Bear is miles better than Juulsen and Myers. Any move that pushes Myers down and Juulsen out is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 4 minutes ago, DrJockitch said: Actually we need a second or third pairing right D. We only have one serviceable one now. Bear is miles better than Juulsen and Myers. Any move that pushes Myers down and Juulsen out is worth it. The problem with resigning Bear, even at a reduced cost, is the term he will want. I suspect a multi year ask. I suppose he can be moved if there are no trade restrictions. I would play Bear over Meyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 37 minutes ago, Provost said: We don’t need another 3rd pairing D. We already have a bunch of guys who are 3rd pairing D having to play higher in the lineup (Myers, Soucy, Cole, Juulsen, We need a guy for the top four. Juulsen is an 8D at best (honestly I'd have claimed either/both Bjork/Coghlan and waived him). Two of the other guys are lefties. As much as yes, long term we very much need a top 4 RHD not named Hronek, right now we just need actual top 6 NHL D to at least tread water. Even if only bottom pair. 1 hour ago, wai_lai416 said: I don’t care if we sign bear or not but I find it funny people say he can play on the 3rd pairing with soucy. Which is fine, but if people are complaining about bear last year 1.8mil is overpaid.. can someone explain to me how soucy is a great signing at 3.25x3 if ppl are suggesting he should play with bear on the 3rd pairing?? Bear 1.8 overpaid 3rd pairing soucy great signing 3.25 3rd pairing.. baffling Soucy has certainly struggled early between a new team, rotating (and as noted above, not NHL top 6) partners and the injury. That said, given his past playing history, he's a solid #4-5D with size and physicality. Bear is a small #4-5 coming off a major injury. There's simply no way he can earn as much with those caveats. Healthy, under regular rising cap, he'd probably get $2.2-$2.5m. Injured, under flat cap... He'll be lucky to get a pro rated $1.5 IMO. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Hronek Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 49 minutes ago, Provost said: We don’t need another 3rd pairing D. We already have a bunch of guys who are 3rd pairing D having to play higher in the lineup (Myers, Soucy, Cole, Juulsen, We need a guy for the top four. Exactly this. We need a #2A or #3 calibre guy that can form a legit top pairing with Quinn Hughes while allowing Hronek to anchor a 2nd pairing. Hughes and Hronek are capable of playing with each other but they aren't an ideal stylistic fit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Tannen Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, wai_lai416 said: I don’t care if we sign bear or not but I find it funny people say he can play on the 3rd pairing with soucy. Which is fine, but if people are complaining about bear last year 1.8mil is overpaid.. can someone explain to me how soucy is a great signing at 3.25x3 if ppl are suggesting he should play with bear on the 3rd pairing?? Bear 1.8 overpaid 3rd pairing soucy great signing 3.25 3rd pairing.. baffling Soucy was signed as a solid LD for the 2nd or 3rd pair who's also going to be doing a lot of PKing. It's entirely hypothetical as Bear isn't healthy and not necessarily even going to be signed, but if they're paired together and Soucy is able to cover for Bear's defensive lapses for about 16 EV mins a night that'll be fine. Assuming Bear's on league min for the year, $4m dollars isn't too much cap tied up and Soucy's will be up around 20 minutes a game. He's a medium term FA signing where we had a deficiency next season will be him, Hughes, Hronek & 3 unknowns. Next season we'll have a much better idea whether he's overpaid once he's played about 80 games as opposed to 1. 54 minutes ago, Provost said: We don’t need another 3rd pairing D. We already have a bunch of guys who are 3rd pairing D having to play higher in the lineup (Myers, Soucy, Cole, Juulsen, We need a guy for the top four. That's $13m dollars on 3rd pairing D, unless we can shift some of that we're not improving the top 4 this season. Edited October 19, 2023 by Biff Tannen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Provost Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 7 minutes ago, aGENT said: Juulsen is an 8D at best (honestly I'd have claimed either/both Bjork/Coghlan and waived him). Two of the other guys are lefties. As much as yes, long term we very much need a top 4 RHD not named Hronek, right now we just need actual top 6 NHL D to at least tread water. Even if only bottom pair. Soucy has certainly struggled early between a new team, rotating (and as noted above, not NHL top 6) partners and the injury. That said, given his past playing history, he's a solid #4-5D with size and physicality. Bear is a small #4-5 coming off a major injury. There's simply no way he can earn as much with those caveats. Healthy, under regular rising cap, he'd probably get $2.2-$2.5m. Injured, under flat cap... He'll be lucky to get a pro rated $1.5 IMO. Shuffling around 6th guys with 7th guys doesn't do anything one way or another. We have extra guys on the farm like Irwin who are fine for those limited roles. Spending money on Bear, even in the $1.5-2.0 million range which is really optimistic, eliminates the chance to find an actual solution Adding a top four guy moves everyone else down a spot on the pairings including a guy like Juulsen which is the only thing really needed. Soucy hasn't been a top four guy his career, the team was hopeful he could make that jump. A 2nd pairing guy plays 20 minutes a game. His yearly averages over his career are 15-17 minutes which are 3rd pairing minutes. Hughes-XX Cole-Hronek Soucy-Myers Irwin-Juulsen Hirose-Friedman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 10 minutes ago, Jeremy Hronek said: Exactly this. We need a #2A or #3 calibre guy that can form a legit top pairing with Quinn Hughes while allowing Hronek to anchor a 2nd pairing. Hughes and Hronek are capable of playing with each other but they aren't an ideal stylistic fit. Again, medium long term we absolutely need a legit top 4 partner for Hughes. Problem being, #2-#3D aren't readily available and cost a lot of cap space. Until the Freidman trade we've been playing an #8-9D on the 3rd pair. Bear is at least an actual 3rd pair D. He's also readily available and should cost minimal cap. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.