Ethan Bear bluntly explains why he chose Washington over Toronto and Vancouver

Over the Christmas break, it was confirmed that free agent defenseman is going to sign a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals, worth $2.0625M AAV per Puck Media, at a later date, once he completes his rehabilitation process. He was injured while playing for Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. Bear skated with the team at Wednesday’s morning skate after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery. He has not played in an NHL game since April 13th of last season and it was for the Vancouver Canucks with whom he collected three goals and 16 points in 61 games.

When asked about his choosing the Capitals over his former team, or even hinting at chatter that linked him to the Toronto Maple Leafs who were reportedly interested in his services, Bear made this comment:

“I’ve heard such good things about the [Capitals] organization, they have great leadership here,” Bear said last week. “It honestly felt like they cared a lot. They want me here, instead of needing me.”

Reports hinted at the fact that the Canucks were working on bringing back Bear had made it clear he would not return to Vancouver, which prompted president Jim Rutherford expressing his disappointment at losing the defenseman during an interview on Donnie & Dhali.

“Patrik [Allvin] had regular communication with the agent. We thought we were the frontrunners,” Rutherford said. “You go back to last year when we brought him here and nobody in the league really wanted to deal for him. We brought him here and kind of helped him along with his game.”

He added: “It’s a little disappointing because we put a lot of work in and we really thought that he was coming back to the Canucks, but he has the right to choose and I take it he chose another place where he feels that it’s best for him.”

Reports also linked Bear to the Maple Leafs, who have struggled for many seasons on the back end, as the blue liner could have logged heavy minutes in Toronto. However, there’s no way the Maple Leafs could have been able to offer him the same security that the Caps have with this deal and maybe need him more than they want him.

Which means this could also be a targeted commented at the two Canadian teams from Bear.

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