The Canucks threw a hail mary went they went on to acquire Lane Pederson and Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 5th Round Pick. It turned out to be a real steal for them since Bear is now considered an emerging new member of the Franchise according to Rutherford's most recent letter to season ticket holders.
The Canucks acquired Bear while the Canes retained part of his $2.2M cap hit. The real issue is that Bear will be a Restricted Free Agent by the end of the season and he will surely be commanding a raise. Rick Dhaliwal gave us the latest updates on the subject and once again reiterated the fact that there had been no extension talks since the All-Star Break.
Bear has settled in quite nicely and it definitely looks like he's enjoyed his time in Vancouver. However, the Canucks are in a tough spot cap wise can't afford the raise he deserves. As mentioned by Dhali, the Canucks will be looking for a deal in the 2 to 3 years range in the high 3s.
He also pointed out that the Canucks' defensive right side hasn't looked this good in years if you manage to have both Ethan Bear and a healthy Filip Hronek. Problem is, if they want to make it happen, they'll need to move a high-salaried player out. Whether it's Myers, OEL, or Garland, a big chunk of money needs to be dumped elsewhere.
