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The Washington Capitals better have learned the process following Evgeny Kutznetsov’s saga ending with the player entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program last February (and eventually traded to Carolina) as the NHL announced on Wednesday, March 27, that it’s now defenseman Ethan Bear who has joined the program.
“Defenseman Ethan Bear of the Washington Capitals will be unavailable to his Club for an indefinite period while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program of the NHLPA and NHL,” the statement published by the NHL PR department read.
The only way for Bear to eventually make his return to the ice with the Capitals is by being “cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators.”
To fill the roster spot opened by Bear’s decision to leave the team and enter the assistance program, the Capitals recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio. The franchise also called up forward Matthew Phillips, both arriving from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Bear had played 24 games this season scoring 1 goal and assisting 3 for 4 points. Aged 26, the defenseman signed a two-year contract with the Caps on Dec. 28 worth $4.125 million. He suffered a shoulder injury while playing at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships on June 2023 ruling him out for six months, after which he signed his deal.
Ethan Bear Went From Carolina to Vancouver to Washington in 14 Months
Following the 2023 season when he played with the Vancouver Canucks, accumulating 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) through 61 games, Bear entered free agency and his former franchise opted not to extend him a new contract considering the injury he sustained while on international duty.
The Canucks originally traded for Bear in October 2022, sending the Carolina Hurricanes a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft in exchange for the right-side defenseman.
After signing with the Capitals last December and appearing in 24 games, Bear last played for the franchise on March 13, exactly two weeks before the announcement of his placement in the assistance program.
Bear was averaging the lowest time on ice through his six-year career in the NHL at just 14:54 TOI with the Capitals before leaving the team. He had 31 blocked shots to go with 16 hits, 2 takeaways, and 9 giveaways The Capitals were outscored by five goals by their opponents with Bear on the ice, per Hockey-Reference.com.
Washington Still Firmly in the Race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Washington Capitals are entering April sitting in the second wild-card position allowing them into the upcoming postseason.
The nation’s capital club has accumulated 81 points through 72 games, six fewer than WC1 Tampa Bay Lighting (87) in the same number of games played through Thursday, March 29, but two more than those accumulated by the Detroit Red Wings (79 in one more game played).
Washington was not expected to make the playoffs this year, but a late-season surge has them placed in a prime position to clinch a postseason berth with teams having 10 or fewer games left to play.
Starting to count from March 14 on, when they defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-1 on the road, Washington has put up an extraordinary 6-2-0 record including a couple of wins past regulation; one in overtime, the other in a shootout.
According to MoneyPuck’s Playoff Odds, the Capitals have a 69 percent probability of making the playoffs, either by finishing 3rd in the Metropolitan Division (36.8% odds) or clinching the second wild-card berth (32.2% odds).
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