The Carolina Hurricanes announced yesterday that defender Ethan Bear has been re-signed to a one-year contract. Bear’s contract is valued at $2.2 million. The defenceman was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for winger Warren Foegele last summer.
Bear is 25 years old and played 58 games with the Hurricanes last season, scoring five goals and 14 points. He had already requested arbitration and will be a restricted free agency when his contract ends.
Bear struggled in his debut season at Carolina. He had a chance to play in the top four for the club early in the season, but he struggled and was frequently out of the lineup. While I believe that Bear being the odd man out was due to players like Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith exceeding expectations, it was still a frustrating year for him.
Having said that, he’s still a young defender with a lot of promise who might make an impact with the Hurricanes next season. The organization made the correct decision in bringing him back on a one-year contract.