Islanders downgraded their defense in free agency and called it a plan

On the opening day of free agency, the New York Islanders signed defenseman Ethan Bear to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 per year. So... there's that.

The 28-year-old spent all of 2024-25 with the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. It was the best season of his pro hockey year to date from an offensive perspective, as he scored 10 goals and 46 points in 62 games. He was also named to the AHL All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

Bear was selected 124th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft. He has appeared in 275 NHL games over six years, scoring 17 goals and 67 points during that span. His best season came with the Oilers in 2019-20, when he recorded 21 points in 71 games.

But Bear hasn't seen any NHL action since the 2023-24 season with the Capitals. He scored a goal and added three assists, registering a minus-five rating while averaging just under 15 minutes per game. He was limited to just 24 games with Washington, as an injury suffered at the World Championships in 2023 forced him to start the season late. He also missed the end of the season after he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in March of 2024.

Islanders downgraded their defense with Ethan Bear signing and called it a plan

As the Islanders look to backfill the void left by the Noah Dobson trade, Bear is little more than a body to (maybe) fill a roster spot.

The Islanders opted to trade Dobson, a pending restricted free agent, to the Montreal Canadiens (admittedly, for a significant haul that included a pair of first-round draft picks in 2025) in a year where the free agent market for right-shot defensemen was particularly thin. Evidently, Bear was the best they could do to shore up the right side of their blue line on short notice.

If he doesn't slot in on the third defensive pairing opposite Scott Mayfield, Bear will likely start the season at AHL Bridgeport and provide some veteran stability to a prospect pipeline that will be a major point of focus for new general manager Mathieu Darche.