The Carolina Hurricanes announced Thursday morning that they are officially bringing back defenseman Ethan Bear, as the team and the RFA agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.2 million contract.
Bear had filed for arbitration and had a hearing scheduled for Aug. 8, but the team and player avoided salary arbitration by getting a deal done Thursday.
Bear had 14 points in 58 games in year one for the Hurricanes, playing on the top pairing early before some COVID issues sidelined him. From there, Bear never really quite found his footing with the Canes, often times being the odd-man out on the blue line.