Bear was the first player to wear a jersey with his name written in Cree syllabics (ᒪᐢᑲᐧ; Maskwa) during an exhibition match against the Calgary Flames on July 28, 2020.[5]
On December 28, 2020, Bear signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension with the Oilers.[6]
After his fourth year within the Oilers organization, Bear was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Warren Foegele on July 28, 2021.[7] In the following 2021–22 season, Bear tied a career-high with five goals and added nine assists for 14 points through 58 regular season games. Struggling to fully adjust to the Hurricanes' system, Bear was a healthy scratch through two rounds of the playoffs.[citation needed]
As a restricted free agent in the off-season, Bear was re-signed by the Hurricanes to a one-year, $2.2million contract on July28, 2022.[8] Beginning the 2022–23 season as a healthy scratch, Bear was traded by the Hurricanes alongside Lane Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick.[9]
After injuring his shoulder while playing in the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Bear had to rest for six months after receiving surgery.[10] Following the surgery, he was not issued a qualifying offer by the Canucks.[11] As Bear emerged from his recovery as an unrestricted free agent, Canucks insider Chris Johnston reported that, alongside the Canucks, the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs expressed interest in signing him.[11][12] An unnamed source told Postmedia that the Canucks' available cap space stopped them from re-signing Bear for the 2023–24 season.[13] Bear signed a two-year, $4.125million contract with the Washington Capitals on December28, 2023.[14] He debuted for the Capitals on December30, 2023, against the Nashville Predators.[15]
After playing 24 games with Washington, Bear entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in March 2024.[16] He was cleared to return to the team at the end of April.[17] On October 3, 2024, the Capitals placed Bear on waivers.[18] After clearing waivers, Bear began the 2024-25 season playing with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.[19]
In October 2021, Bear and Lenasia Ned got engaged.[26] In January 2023, Ned gave birth to their first child, a daughter. The couple married in Kelowna, British Columbia, in July 2023.[27] They welcomed a second daughter in July 2024.[28]
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