Capitals’ Ethan Bear exits NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

Though his team’s season might be over, a young blueliner is potentially on the path to returning to the ice.

During Tuesday’s media availability, Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan revealed that defenseman Ethan Bear has exited the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. MacLellan also mentioned that Bear was at the Capitals’ team facility on Tuesday.

MacLellan says Bear will go through the exit meetings with coaches and staff.

The 26-year-old entered the program on March 27, just over three months removed from signing a two-year contract with Washington. Bear’s contract will carry a $2.062 million cap hit through the end of the 2024-25 season.

The Regina, Saskatchewan native has played in 24 games with Washington, scoring a goal and three assists, registering a minus-5 rating while averaging just under 15 minutes per game. Bear was last in the lineup during the Caps’ 7-2 loss at the hands of Bear’s former team, the Edmonton Oilers, on March 13, having missed the last seven games.

Bear was left looking for a team after spending the 2022-23 campaign with the Vancouver Canucks, where he posted three goals and 16 points in 61 games. He was traded to Vancouver by the Carolina Hurricanes in October 2022, just three months after the Canes signed Bear to a one-year, $2.2 million contract.

Last spring, the former Seattle Thunderbird represented his country at the IIHF World Championships, where he was on a Canadian team that captured its record 28th gold medal in Latvia. He suffered an injury during the tournament that knocked him out of the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.

Bear has played 275 games in the NHL, 132 of which came with the Oilers. He has amassed 17 goals and 50 assists in his career, playing in eight playoff games with Edmonton during the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.