Capitals' Ethan Bear enters NHL player assistance program

The NHL has announced that Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear will be out indefinitely while receiving care from the NHL player assistance program. He’s scored four points in 24 games since making his season debut in late December.

Bear’s season kicked off late, with a shoulder injury suffered during the 2023 IIHF World Championship lingering through the first half of the year. He became a free agent after his surgery — after the Vancouver Canucks chose not to extend a qualifying offer — and he held off negotiations on a new deal until December. There were reportedly plenty of teams in the mix on Bear, including Vancouver. But he ultimately decided on Washington, moving to his fourth team in the last three years with a two-year, $4.125M contract. He made his season debut on Dec. 31 and scored his first goal (and so far, his only goal) of the year nine games later.

This year is Bear’s fifth season in a full-time NHL role, following his rookie season in 2019-20 when he scored 21 points in 71 games. That has stood as his career-high in scoring, though he came within a few points when he scored 16 in 61 games last year. Bear has established himself as a solid bottom-four option at the NHL level, averaging 18-and-a-half minutes of ice time through 275 career games. Alexander Alexeyev has gained a bigger role in his absence, recording one goal and three points through 28 games this season.