Capitals to officially boost their blueline once roster freeze ends

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Cooper Godin
December 27, 2023 (9:10)

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The National Hockey League's roster freeze is set to officially end at 12:01 a.m. ET on December 28th and there could be a flurry of transactions announced, the majority of them being minor, such as a call-up or someone being sent down to the AHL.

But after weeks of speculation, it appears that the Washington Capitals will officially sign defenceman Ethan Bear once the freeze lifts, according to PuckPedia.

PuckPedia says that the Capitals will officially sign Bear to a two-year contract worth $2.0625 million AAV in the next day or two.

"Expecting that Ethan Bear's #ALLCAPS    contract will be finalized & registered in next day or two, and that it will be a 2 year deal with a cap hit of $2.0625M."

Bear, 26, spent the 2022-23 season with the Vancouver Canucks, appearing in 61 games where he had 16 points (three goals, 13 assists), 25 penalty minutes and was a plus-six.

After Vancouver's season came to an end, Bear was named to Canada's roster for the 2023 IIHF World Hockey Championship, but during the quarter-finals, he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. Because of the unknown on when he may play, the Canucks decided not to issue him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

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