Player Discussion Ethan Bear: It's a Bear Market

[voxel]

He's so good. I'm glad I'm wrong about him. Can I be wrong about Jones now? (please, Hockey Gods).

 

[Bryanbryoil]

2-3 years ago someone from another fan base came to the Oiler's reddit inquiring about Bear and his comparables. I described him as 'Barrie-lite'. How apt is that comparable?

I remember that comp as I didn't much care for it then because Barrie was a much better skater back then. Now it's a lot closer although Bear IMO is stronger and better defensively while Barrie is still likely the more dynamic offensive player. That said the comp is closer now than it was back then for sure.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He's so good. I'm glad I'm wrong about it. Can I be wrong about Jones now? (please, Hockey Gods).

Jones' issue is that he has Klef and Nurse ahead of him and guys like Lagesson, Broberg and Samorukov coming for that last LHD spot. Jones had a poor camp but he can still be a good NHL player if he keeps putting in thew work. IMO the guys that felt that they were going to walk onto the Oilers because of last seasons accomplishments (Marody, Benson and Jones) all shat the bed in TC and as a result took a hit in terms of the organizational depth chart.

 

[harpoon]

I was initially one of the ones who thought Bear should have been traded for forward depth due to him being further down the D Depth line up

He was only ‘further down the lineup’ on the fantasy lineups the tall foreheads on hfoil cook up. In other words, no relation to reality.

Serious props to you for admitting you were wrong on this kid. It’s a rare thing on this board.

 

[puck stoppa]

You have yourselves a real nice player here. I tried to watch him closely last night and came away impressed. The two biggest things I came away with is that he has high hockey iq and makes good quick decisions, and his passes are quick and accurate as he moves the puck effectively and efficiently. Looks like you got a good player for years to come.

 

[ConnorMcNugesaitl]

Jones' issue is that he has Klef and Nurse ahead of him and guys like Lagesson, Broberg and Samorukov coming for that last LHD spot. Jones had a poor camp but he can still be a good NHL player if he keeps putting in thew work. IMO the guys that felt that they were going to walk onto the Oilers because of last seasons accomplishments (Marody, Benson and Jones) all shat the bed in TC and as a result took a hit in terms of the organizational depth chart.

All reports are that Bear really took things seriously this summer after a disappointing season and good for him.

Seems like the opposite for the guys you mentioned, feels like a missed opportunity for Marody most of all. Benson will get another shot, Jones will get a chance somewhere if not here but this was a great opportunity for Marody to establish himself with the massive hole at bottom 6 center.

 

[CupofOil]

Bear was unreal last night. In a game where everybody was fighting it including his D partner, Bear stood out in a big time way playing some really hard minutes. Not just his ability to skate the puck out of trouble (something so few Oiler Dmen over the years are capable of) and show great poise in the offensive zone (again, something so few Oiler Dmen are capable of) but his ability to defend top forwards, he owned the Schiefele line.

I don't want to go overboard with the praise as it's still early days in his development but we could have the makings of a top pairing with Nurse-Bear.
We could be singing a different tune later in the season if he hits a rookie wall but the arrows are pointing up, way up.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

Bear was unreal last night. In a game where everybody was fighting it including his D partner, Bear stood out in a big time way playing some really hard minutes. Not just his ability to skate the puck out of trouble (something so few Oiler Dmen over the years are capable of) and show great poise in the offensive zone (again, something so few Oiler Dmen are capable of) but his ability to defend top forwards, he owned the Schiefele line.

I don't want to go overboard with the praise as it's still early days in his development but we could have the makings of a top pairing with Nurse-Bear.
We could be singing a different tune later in the season if he hits a rookie wall but the arrows are pointing up, way up.

He played like a number 2 D last night. I'm really surprised by how solid he is along the boards. I'm also really starting to like this kid in general!

 

[MessierII]

He looks really, really good. Not much else you can say. 25 minutes last night of solid hockey.

 

[McJC]

His ability to start the transition right away is impressive. Few times where we went from defense to offense quickly because of Bear
Would like to see him use his shot a bit more in the offensive end but that'll come

 

[Still DRAI]

His ability to start the transition right away is impressive. Few times where we went from defense to offense quickly because of Bear
Would like to see him use his shot a bit more in the offensive end but that'll come

One of the things where I personally see Bear as one of our best d-men is the transition game you mentioned!

So often I see him take the puck in the corner and then skate it closer to the middle of the ice before passing, which is a breath of fresh air considering how many of our defensemen just rifle the puck into the boards to clear

 

[Magnum23]

Can’t believe I thought Bear would have been a good throw-in player to be traded for immediate help this summer.

Man was I wrong!

I thought Bouchard would outplay him in camp as well lol.

Moral of the story : let your young D develop in the minors until they are ready.

Bouchard will be a stud one day but I think we should give Jones a little more time before we think of trading him.

 

[Smartguy]

To me Bear is one of those great high scoring junior players who just had it click one day and realized he wasn’t going to be a PPG player in the NHL. He’s become very responsible in his own end with a great breakout ability, he doesn’t get caught up in the rush and hasn’t made a bad pinch. I think he’s still got room to grow offensively once he gains some more confidence but he’s probably been the biggest surprise this year.

To quote his own words he decided to “grow up” this offseason

 

[ehhteen]

Would Ryan Ellis be a good comparable for his playstyle?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Would Ryan Ellis be a good comparable for his playstyle?

In his own end yes, Ellis at the same age had a more developed shot and offence but still a good comparable you make.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Bear is quickly becoming a great addition to our D and one of the breakthrough prospects we desperately needed to happen. If Broberg, Bouchard, Jones and Sammy develop as expected we could have a deadly D corps and ammunition for a trade for the wingers or 3C we desperately need.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

Man our defence could be really good in 2-3 years.

Nurse - Bear
Broberg - Bouchard
Klefbom - Persson

Samorukov
Jones
Lagesson

Obviously this could change fairly quickly, but the 1st and 2nd pairing are likely interchangeable and the 3rd pairing is currently our second pairing.

I believe 2 of the others get bundled up with picks for a 3C or a winger.

 

[ImmuneEH]

Perception prior to the season
Jones was heralded as the top prospect amongst Bear & Lagesson, and I think people had their money on him making the team. Personally, I felt that Jones has top 4 upside as a mobile 2-way D, and that Bear's upside was as a puck-moving 3rd pairing D who QB our PP1. I even threw Bear into trade proposals involving JP (what a mistake that was!).

Reality
As a result of Larsson's injury, Bear has been given top minutes playing against the opposing team's best players. He's also been used on our top PK unit, which has been very successful this season. He has the coach's trust (Tippett himself admitted that Bear is an excellent young defensemen).

Perception after 10 games
Nurse/Bear is a pairing that should not be broken up any time soon. At this point, we can't know for certain if Bear can keep this up over an entire 82 game season. However, his upside noticeably shifted. I don't like using the terms '#1' or '#2' to describe young D, but he seems to have that top pairing upside. The consistent nifty plays to gain possession in the D-zone and make crisp, accurate passes far outweighs the few minor mistakes he makes every night.

Going forward

• If Bear can become a top 4D, is it so crazy that Jones could be one too? (they actually had similar seasons last year)
• The rise of Bear gives Holland some interesting options. Larsson as trade bait at the end of the season? Hold onto Larsson and develop Bouchard more? (not that those are mutually exclusive)
• What kind of contract extension are we looking at? I think it'd be best to get him signed long-term as opposed to a bridge deal.
• We found a partner for Nurse, now we need to find a partner for Klefbomb.

 

[gordonhught]

Perception prior to the season
Jones was heralded as the top prospect amongst Bear & Lagesson, and I think people had their money on him making the team. Personally, I felt that Jones has top 4 upside as a mobile 2-way D, and that Bear's upside was as a puck-moving 3rd pairing D who QB our PP1. I even threw Bear into trade proposals involving JP (what a mistake that was!).

Reality
As a result of Larsson's injury, Bear has been given top minutes playing against the opposing team's best players. He's also been used on our top PK unit, which has been very successful this season. He has the coach's trust (Tippett himself admitted that Bear is an excellent young defensemen).

Perception after 10 games
Nurse/Bear is a pairing that should not be broken up any time soon. At this point, we can't know for certain if Bear can keep this up over an entire 82 game season. However, his upside noticeably shifted. I don't like using the terms '#1' or '#2' to describe young D, but he seems to have that top pairing upside. The consistent nifty plays to gain possession in the D-zone and make crisp, accurate passes far outweighs the few minor mistakes he makes every night.

Going forward

• If Bear can become a top 4D, is it so crazy that Jones could be one too? (they actually had similar seasons last year)
• The rise of Bear gives Holland some interesting options. Larsson as trade bait at the end of the season? Hold onto Larsson and develop Bouchard more? (not that those are mutually exclusive)
• What kind of contract extension are we looking at? I think it'd be best to get him signed long-term as opposed to a bridge deal.
• We found a partner for Nurse, now we need to find a partner for Klefbomb.

I see Bear settling in as a really solid 2RD down the road. I am not convinced he is a true 1RD.

 

[Aerchon]

I see Bear settling in as a really solid 2RD down the road. I am not convinced he is a true 1RD.

Just depends on development.

To this point he is only a lil a head of guys like Davidson. Davidson just kept getting better and better until he didn't. Then he got worse.

I will say the same thing about Bear I did about Davidson at the approximately the same age/situation. He can absolutely become a #1. Just depends on his drive and development.

Realistically. I see him as having a higher ceiling than Davidson but that may be only a good #3 rather than a true top pairing. Klefbom, Nurse, Bear, and Bouchard. Larsson if he returns to form. Maybe Jones, Samourukov, and Broberg also may have #3 upside. A whole group 0f #3's would be very good in today's NHL. Much like we had in the 2016-2017 season.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Just depends on development.

To this point he is only a lil a head of guys like Davidson. Davidson just kept getting better and better until he didn't. Then he got worse.

I will say the same thing about Bear I did about Davidson at the approximately the same age/situation. He can absolutely become a #1. Just depends on his drive and development.

Realistically. I see him as having a higher ceiling than Davidson but that may be only a good #3 rather than a true top pairing. Klefbom, Nurse, Bear, and Bouchard. Larsson if he returns to form. Maybe Jones, Samourukov, and Broberg also may have #3 upside. A whole group 0f #3's would be very good in today's NHL. Much like we had in the 2016-2017 season.

I still blame Tkachuk, the year he should have taken a step forward was a largely write off for him.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Outside of the goaltending and the world's best Hockey Duo, Bear's performance has been one of the most important. They were walking into the season with 1 Top-4 RHD, Benning and a couple kids was not great, then Larsson got hurt and Bear stepped up to eat the minutes and play well in them, this has been massive for the team.

 

[JayE]

Would Ryan Ellis be a good comparable for his playstyle?

He reminds me of Brian Rafalski.

 

[gordonhught]

He reminds me of Brian Rafalski.

If Bear continues to make those outlet passes and get points like Rafalski, I will be thrilled.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Don't know if anyone else feels this comparison, but to me he looks like vintage Roman Hamrlik.

I like the Rafalski comparison, but he was always paired with Niedermeyer or Lidstrom, so I could never really get a proper read on his ability.