Player Discussion Ethan Bear: It's a Bear Market

[oljimmy]

One of the most impressive things about Bear this year is his puck retrieval in the corners. He's got guys with 10 years' experience Bear-ing (ha ha) down on him into the corners at warp speed and he uses this combination of body positioning and quickness/intelligence to pull the puck out and get it up ice. It's hard to name a bigger Achilles Heel for the Oil during the 13+ years of Darkness than the fact that opposing teams have always been able to hem them in on the forecheck and Bear is rapidly helping to make that team weakness disappear. Lock this guy UP LONG TERM, man.

 

[ImmuneEH]

One of the most impressive things about Bear this year is his puck retrieval in the corners. He's got guys with 10 years' experience Bear-ing (ha ha) down on him into the corners at warp speed and he uses this combination of body positioning and quickness/intelligence to pull the puck out and get it up ice. It's hard to name a bigger Achilles Heel for the Oil during the 13+ years of Darkness than the fact that opposing teams have always been able to hem them in on the forecheck and Bear is rapidly helping to make that team weakness disappear. Lock this guy UP LONG TERM, man.

Agreed. If he's not our best defenseman now, he will be really soon.

 

[Oil Dood]

One of the most impressive things about Bear this year is his puck retrieval in the corners. He's got guys with 10 years' experience Bear-ing (ha ha) down on him into the corners at warp speed and he uses this combination of body positioning and quickness/intelligence to pull the puck out and get it up ice. It's hard to name a bigger Achilles Heel for the Oil during the 13+ years of Darkness than the fact that opposing teams have always been able to hem them in on the forecheck and Bear is rapidly helping to make that team weakness disappear. Lock this guy UP LONG TERM, man.

Him and Nurse are custom made for each other, and they will get better as time goes on as well.
Wait till Bouchard is ready, he is custom made for Klefbom IMO.
Our defense will become our biggest strength and there is a possibility that all six defenders will be homegrown. That is what successful teams do.

 

[space321]

Well the number you were reacting to was $3.5M, which I think may be a bit low for a long term contract but still it is not that outlandish. Put that as the low end and maybe $5M as high end for a long term contract. Not sure why you needed to make your point in that way, it definitely is not a comment that encourages a discussion about it... Why not just make you point saying it is low in your opinion and explain why, that way at least there can be a conversation about it.

edit: or did I miss your point of the post?

It was just a little bit of sarcasm, didn't think people would be this sensitive to it.

But my point is:

a 3.5M x 8 year contract is just as unlikely as a 1M x 8 year contract, aka both have zero chance of happening.

 

[snipes]

Fun fact: Ethan Bear has as many points as Jack Hughes.

 

[fuswald]

I'm thinking lack of sleep. Or heroin.

Super girl is a heroine watch her

 

[BlackDogg]

 

[Aceboogie]

Simply put, I am the most bullish on all Oilers D for the next 5 years (with Bouchard pretty much tied). I think hes our 2nd best D right now, close to the best. And he has everything to his game with very little weaknesses

Next year I could see teams keying in on him and a slight set back. But in years after... watch out league

 

[JayE]

Has Bear been getting any shortage of love with the Oilers fanbase? He won't get paid as much because they're in clearly different career and contract positions, but I don't think you'll find many people who would say that he doesn't carry his own weight and more in that pairing. It's not as if the fanbase is completely behind Nurse, either.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Anyone who watched Bear play for the thunderbirds knew what he can do. Reading threads here makes it seem like he was a revelation. I remembered the year after he was drafted, i was watching him play in the playoffs in the WHL and he hammered a beautiful point shot for a goal. That was when i knew this guy is what we needed.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Fun fact: Ethan Bear has as many points as Jack Hughes.

If Jack Hughes carries on a piss poor season next year or regress, we can trade JP for Hughes straight up. Hughes would practically be a bust or reclamation project. JP played a couple of years here and was dumped on by fans at the age of 20. Hughes should get the same treatment next season from their fan base. He better step up or he is done.

 

[JayE]

If Jack Hughes carries on a piss poor season next year or regress, we can trade JP for Hughes straight up. Hughes would practically be a bust or reclamation project. JP played a couple of years here and was dumped on by fans at the age of 20. Hughes should get the same treatment next season from their fan base. He better step up or he is done.

Yeah, that has no chance of happening.

 

[Zaddy]

This may be premature but honestly I think Ethan Bear is already the Oilers 2nd best defenseman behind Klefbom and once he gets more NHL games under his belt I don't see why he can't surpass him as well. Bear has legit top pair potential and could even be a #1D, maybe not an elite one but still. His game is so well-rounded and he makes such great decisions, great passer, creative in the offensive zone. He can really do it all.

Get him signed long-term ASAP. I'm not opposed to a $5M x 8 years type deal. Without doing the math I think with cap inflation it's a very similar deal to what Klefbom got in 2015 after a similar amount of NHL games played and that's been a complete steal. There's nothing in Bear's game that I'm worried about that would make me hesitate signing him to a long-term deal. Just get it done.

 

[ImmuneEH]

This may be premature but honestly I think Ethan Bear is already the Oilers 2nd best defenseman behind Klefbom and once he gets more NHL games under his belt I don't see why he can't surpass him as well. Bear has legit top pair potential and could even be a #1D, maybe not an elite one but still. His game is so well-rounded and he makes such great decisions, great passer, creative in the offensive zone. He can really do it all.

Get him signed long-term ASAP. I'm not opposed to a $5M x 8 years type deal. Without doing the math I think with cap inflation it's a very similar deal to what Klefbom got in 2015 after a similar amount of NHL games played and that's been a complete steal.

Wasn't Bear a 5th rounder? What a gem of a pick.

 

[Zaddy]

Wasn't Bear a 5th rounder? What a gem of a pick.

Yep, incredible. But that's been the history generally in the NHL. You don't need to draft defenders high to get top pair guys. Many have been found outside the 1st round. Not nearly as common with forwards.

We have Jones and Lagesson in the lineup too, both 4th rounders.

 

[Senor Catface]

Wasn't Bear a 5th rounder? What a gem of a pick.

Whatever scouts pushed for the defensemen in the 2015 draft did a great job.

Bear
Jones
Marino

 

[McCombo]

This may be premature but honestly I think Ethan Bear is already the Oilers 2nd best defenseman behind Klefbom and once he gets more NHL games under his belt I don't see why he can't surpass him as well. Bear has legit top pair potential and could even be a #1D, maybe not an elite one but still. His game is so well-rounded and he makes such great decisions, great passer, creative in the offensive zone. He can really do it all.

Get him signed long-term ASAP. I'm not opposed to a $5M x 8 years type deal. Without doing the math I think with cap inflation it's a very similar deal to what Klefbom got in 2015 after a similar amount of NHL games played and that's been a complete steal. There's nothing in Bear's game that I'm worried about that would make me hesitate signing him to a long-term deal. Just get it done.

I think he clearly is 2nd best behind Klefbom. And he already has better first pass, is way better exiting zone with possession under pressure, better getting shots through to the net, better lateral movement on the blueline than Klefbom. And of course way better than anyone else on the team.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Whatever scouts pushed for the defensemen in the 2015 draft did a great job.

Bear
Jones
Marino

Chiarelli doesn't get enough credit for those picks. Now Holland seems to be the one who is the genius. There are more propsects and picks coming up the pipeline that were under Chiarelli's watch. One notable game changer we have is Yamamoto who was in garbage busy territory just 6 months ago. Another noteworthy prospect is Samorukov. I still remembered trade proposals where some wanted to send our 1st, samorukov and yamamoto as a throw in for some type of garbage like Rakell. What a disaster that would be. Then people here would say "good for yamamoto. He would have never worked out here anyways." If JP goes elsewhere and light it up, same shit would be said about JP.

 

[duul]

He is the most effective defenceman we have by a country mile. Followed by Jones, then Bear, then Green, then Klefbom, then Larsson. Russell/Lags are tire fires.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Chiarelli's scouts don't get enough credit for those picks. Now Holland seems to be the one who is the genius.

I fixed it and both are now true.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

He is the most effective defenceman we have by a country mile. Followed by Jones, then Bear, then Green, then Klefbom, then Larsson. Russell/Lags are tire fires.

Huh?

 

[GOilers88]

Chiarelli doesn't get enough credit for those picks. Now Holland seems to be the one who is the genius. There are more propsects and picks coming up the pipeline that were under Chiarelli's watch. One notable game changer we have is Yamamoto who was in garbage busy territory just 6 months ago. Another noteworthy prospect is Samorukov. I still remembered trade proposals where some wanted to send our 1st, samorukov and yamamoto as a throw in for some type of garbage like Rakell. What a disaster that would be. Then people here would say "good for yamamoto. He would have never worked out here anyways." If JP goes elsewhere and light it up, same shit would be said about JP.

Yeah, Rakell is not garbage. If you could actually get Rakell for a 1st + Samo package you'd be a GD fool not to make the deal.

 

[GOilers88]

I fixed it and both are now true.

By this logic, and I see it all over HF, GM's essentially shouldn't get credit for anything team related. That's what GM's do. They hire personnel to oversee different facets of the organization. Scouts, Coaches, Trainers, Medical Staff. You can hate Chiarelli all you want, but it's a cold hard fact that he did some good things for this franchise and people absolutely refuse to acknowledge it.

If Green, Ennis and AA provide a positive impact for the team this year, I don't want to see Holland being given credit for the deals. That should go to his scouts who decided which players would be good targets.

 

[duul]

Huh?

Huh?

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

By this logic, and I see it all over HF, GM's essentially shouldn't get credit for anything team related. That's what GM's do. They hire personnel to oversee different facets of the organization. Scouts, Coaches, Trainers, Medical Staff. You can hate Chiarelli all you want, but it's a cold hard fact that he did some good things for this franchise and people absolutely refuse to acknowledge it.

If Green, Ennis and AA provide a positive impact for the team this year, I don't want to see Holland being given credit for the deals. That should go to his scouts who decided which players would be good targets.

No, by my logic, based on what I understand from how drafts work, the later picks are largely made because particular scout voice strong feelings toward the various players selected. The GM is due some credit, but the GM usually isn't heavily knowledgeable of all like 300+ available prospects.

Edit: Holland is due credit for creating space on the blueline for a Bear or Jones to thrive.