Washington Capitals allow UFA Defenceman to talk to other NHL teams

According to Rick Dhaliwal from CHEK television, Ethan Bear's time in Washington is apparently coming to an end.

Ethan Bear led the Hershey Bears in points this past season with 10 goals and 36 assists in 62 games for the Bears will be getting plenty of interest around the league in either the NHL or AHL as he tries to work his way back full time to the National Hockey League.

The soon to be 28-year-old journeymen defensemen from Saskatoon who has 275 career NHL games which includes 24 with the Washington Capitals from a season ago will look to get back in the NHL after spending the whole 2024-25 season in the minors playing for the Hershey Bears.

Despite the Capitals considering trading Ethan Bear away at the trade deadline this past spring they decided to call him up for the Capitals playoff push, but he was ultimately a healthy scratch in the Capitals 10 playoff games.

Ethan Bear's last contract that he signed in December 2023 with the Washington Capitals was a two-year, $4.125 million contract which was signed after coming off of shoulder surgery that had sidelined him at the beginning of the 2023 season after Bear was injured in the 2023 IIHF World Championship playing for Canada.

During March of the 2023-24 NHL season Bear had a setback when he entered into the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

In April of 2024 Bear was cleared to return to hockey action, but for the 2024-25 season Bear would stay in the minors with the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears while getting valuable minutes and puck time that he wouldn't have had with the Capitals this past season.