NHL Insider Indicates Ex Oilers Top Free Will Sign Soon

Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 thoughts this morning that he believes the free agent defenseman will be signing with the Washington capitals. The Capitals have been one of the teams consistently involved in rumors surrounding Bear. It has also been reported that the Vancouver Canucks, one of the teams linked to Bear, are now out on him.

Bear last played with the Canucks last season. If the team wanted to re-sign him there did not seem to be anything stopping them so it is a but odd that they waited until now to try to get something done.

This news also has implications for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team was reportedly looking into signing the free agent after they suffered a number of critical injuries on defense. The team is currently without John Klingberg, Mark Giordano, and Timothy Liljegren, among others.

Still though, it seems now that the Capitals are the favorites. There are certainly other options for the Leafs but they are slowly being taken off the board one at a time. One has to wonder now if they are going to make a strong push for Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro as a more long-term solution.

For now though, we will just have to wait and see.

As seen on Elliotte Friedman Reveals Frontrunner For Prize Free Agent With Decision On The Horizon