Islanders' Ethan Bear: Unavailable against Flyers

Bear (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

At this point, Bear has missed enough preseason games and training camp sessions that he may have to start the 2025-26 campaign in the minors. After some decent campaigns with the Oilers, Hurricanes and Canucks, the 28-year-old defenseman saw himself relegated to the minors for all of 2024-25. With AHL Hershey last year, Bear was solidly productive with 10 goals and 36 helpers in 62 regular-season tilts. With youngsters Matthew Schaefer and Isaiah George pushing for NHL opportunities, Bear likely has fallen too far behind at this point to be a full-time option for the Isles.