The Washington Capitals expect to officially sign unrestricted free-agent defenseman Ethan Bear at a later date, the team announced Wednesday.
Washington paved the way for Bear's arrival by placing rearguard Lucas Johansen on waivers Monday and assigning him to the AHL the following day.
Bear has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery after sustaining the ailment while representing Canada at the IIHF World Championship this past spring.
He joined the Capitals for morning skate on Wednesday as he continues his rehabilitation. Bear became a free agent after the Vancouver Canucks didn't tender him a qualifying offer this offseason.
The 26-year-old chipped in with three goals and 16 points in 61 games while averaging 18:31 minutes of ice time per contest last campaign. Vancouver acquired Bear and forward Lane Pederson from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick in October 2022.
Earlier in December, Vancouver president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said he believed the Canucks were the "front-runners" to sign Bear.
"We go back to last year when we brought him here, nobody in the league really wanted to deal for him," the executive said during an appearance on CHEK News' "Donnie and Dhali" show. "We brought him here and kind of helped him along with his game. ... There was regular communication. It got down to the end, and there was a little bit of change, I'm sure it's partly because of money.
"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."
The Edmonton Oilers selected Bear in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He has amassed 63 points in 251 career matchups.
His best statistical season came in 2019-20 with Edmonton, when he totaled five goals and 21 points in 71 contests while recording a career-high 21:58 minutes of ice time per game.
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