Carolina Hurricanes grant 24-year-old defenseman permission to speak with teams before July 13th
The market for defensemen may be a little more interesting on July 13th, or possibly sooner, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has announced that the Carolina Hurricanes have granted the Ethan Bear camp permission to speak with other teams about a possible deal.
Bear dressed for just 58 games for the Hurricanes this season and was a healthy scratch for the entirety of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Since the Hurricanes still control Bear's rights throughout the remainder of June and up until July 13th, Friedman cautions that even if Bear finds a situation that he likes elsewhere, nothing can occur without Carolina's approval until July 13th at noon ET.
It's possible that the Canes are allowing Bear to speak with other clubs as a way of arranging a sign-and-trade, which would allow the Canes to get at least something back in exchange for the 24-year-old right-shot defenseman.
Bear was originally a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers back in 2015 (5th round, 124th overall). The Regina, Saskatchewan defender has played 190 NHL games, notching 47 points and adding 77 PIMs. He has 0 points in 8 playoff games.
