The New York Islanders have reportedly signed Ethan Bear to a one-year contract, ending his tenure in the Capitals organization.
Per PuckPedia, the two-way deal will carry an league-minimum $775,000 cap hit at the NHL level and a $325,000 salary in the minors.
Bear, 28, spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season with the Hershey Bears, where he recorded a team-leading 46 points (10g, 36a) in 62 games. He ranked eighth in scoring among all AHL defensemen, served as one of Hershey’s representatives at the AHL All-Star Game, and was named to the league’s Second All-Star Team.
Washington reportedly gave Bear permission to talk to other teams ahead of free agency as he looked to find his next landing spot.
Bear joined the Capitals partway through the 2023-24 campaign, inking a two-year, $4.13 million deal in December 2023 after recovering from a shoulder injury. He played 24 games in DC and scored four points (1g, 3a) that season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in March of 2024.
After the Capitals waived him during training camp last fall, Bear was optimistic about going to Hershey after playing so few games the prior season.
“It just feels so good to play again,” Bear told RMNB in October. “I’m happy I’m down here, and I don’t have to be worried about being in and out of the lineup, not getting a groove going. With how I struggled last year, this is exactly what I needed. Just to kind of get my confidence going, feel a puck, play a lot of minutes. This is just exactly what I needed. And I’m happy to be here. It’s a fun group to be around.”
The Capitals reportedly considered dealing him at the trade deadline before later recalling him as an extra for their playoff run, though he did not dress in the postseason.
Update (5:15 pm): The Islanders officially confirmed Bear’s one-year, two-way contract.
