Report: Carolina Hurricanes give RFA defenseman Ethan Bear permission to speak with other teams

Bear is an RFA and thus cannot officially sign any offer sheet before free agency opens July 13, but he and the Hurricanes are reportedly not close to agreeing on a new contract at the moment. The Canes do still hope to re-sign Bear, Friedman added.

Carolina acquired Bear last July 28 from the Edmonton Oilers in a straight-up trade for checking forward Warren Foegele. Bear showed promise early in 2021-22 while playing on the team’s top pair with Jaccob Slavin, but Bear missed some time with COVID-19 in November and never found his groove again upon returning. He ended up with five goals and 14 points in 58 games. He averaged 18:18 of ice time before the absence and just 15:15 after it. Bear was healthy scratched for Carolina’s two-round, 14-game 2022 Stanley Cup playoff run.

Still, when healthy and playing a larger role with the Oilers, Bear showed plenty of potential. He was an above-average, two-way play driver in Edmonton and finished 10^th in the Calder Trophy vote for 2019-20. Given he’s a right-handed shot to boot, plenty of teams will be interested in him as a reclamation project.