NHL Notebook: Vancouver Canucks Acquire Ethan Bear, Devan Dubnyk Retires and More
Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear was shipped to the Vancouver Canucks from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
The Hurricanes kept $400,000 from Bear’s $2.2 million contract in exchange for a fifth-round pick while also sending AHL forward Lane Pederson.
Bear should jump into the Canucks lineup right away and could end up finding a tremendous opportunity if he eventually gets a chance to skate with Quinn Hughes.
After a poor 2020-21 season, Bear had a decent rebound last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he recorded five goals and nine assists in 58 games with the Canes. This year, Bear struggled to get into the lineup. He was beaten by former Canuck Jalen Chatfield at the bottom of the Canes’ Defense Corps.
The Canucks likely hope another change of scenery will help Bear become a promising young player again, like he was in 2019-20 when he scored 21 points in 71 games with the Edmonton Oilers while playing the first four minutes.
Bear stands at 5’11”, was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and played hockey for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL as a junior.
Devan Dubnyk has officially retired from the NHL and is entering the world of broadcasting. Drafted 14th by the Oilers in the 2004 draft, Dubnyk spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the team.
He joined the NHL in 2009-10 and was eventually traded to the Nashville Predators on January 15, 2014 in exchange for Matt Hendricks. During his time with the Oilers, he compiled a 61-76-21 record in 171 games played while posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.88 GAA.
The 2014-15 season was his best in the NHL as he started the year with the Arizona Coyotes before moving to the Minnesota Wild. He posted a record of 36-14-4, a savings percentage of .929 and a GAA of 2.07. He finished third in the Vezina voting, was named to the second All-Star team, and won the Bill Masterton Trophy.
In an interview with Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Dubnyk approached his agent about potentially starting a television appearance on the NHL Network. A Zoom call later, he was serving as an analyst for a playoff game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.Yesterday, Dubnyk made his regular-season debut as he analyzed the play of the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild, with a team he played his best hockey career with.
“It was fun to stay in the game,” Dubnyk told Mizutani. “There were some nerves involved. Now that I’m getting the chance to do it more, I’ve been able to bring my own personality to it. I really enjoy it.”
After a hot start, the Ottawa Senators received tough news this week as Josh Norris is likely to miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
Now that Norris’ prognosis is a bit clearer — and we’re talking disaster — the Senators have to deal with a significant loss in the lineup while the season is still fresh.
According to CapFriendly, Senators have $4.113 million in projected cap space, which gives them a little wiggle room to make a difference. Putting Norris on LTIR will save around $7 million.
But listen to me: maybe the team doesn’t need to move assets to close the gap. Maybe Pinto covered that himself.
Pinto has five goals and six points in seven games with the Senators while playing on the team’s third line. And that together with Tyler Motte and Mathieu Joseph. So think of the influence he would have on Claude Giroux – one of the best playmakers of his time – and Alex DeBrincat, a mere goalscorer. Tim Stutzle is the No. 1 center, but Pinto can easily be the No. 2 guy.
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