A couple of familiar faces are hitting the NHL waiver wire.

On Sunday, former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Ethan Bear and forward Danton Heinen were placed on waivers, making them available to the other 31 teams in the NHL.

If the two clear the wire on Monday afternoon, they’ll be eligible to report to their respective American Hockey League affiliates.

Bear signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders in July, but hasn’t played at all this season. The 28-year-old suffered a wrist injury during training camp, and hasn’t skated since. He started the season on the Islanders’ non-rostered injured reserve.

The Regina, Sask. product spent the entire 2024-25 season with the Washington Capitals’ primary affiliate, the Hershey Bears. It ended up being one of the more fruitful seasons of Bear’s career. In 62 games, he scored 10 goals and 36 assists for 46 points, earning a spot on the AHL’s Atlantic All-Star Team roster.

The last time Bear was on an NHL roster was with the Caps during the 2023-24 season, where he scored a goal and three assists for four points in 24 games. He would leave the team in March 2024 to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Bear spent the 2022-23 season with the Canucks, scoring three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. Bear’s contract has an NHL cap hit of $775,000, a minor-league salary of $325,000, and $425,000 in guaranteed money.

Heinen has played 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, potting a goal and an assist thus far. He has been up and down between Pittsburgh and its top farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 12 games in the AHL, the 30-year-old has posted six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

Heinen was part of the trade last February that saw the Canucks send him, fellow defenceman Vincent Desharnais, prospect Melvin Fernstrom, and the first-round pick the Canucks acquired as part of the J.T. Miller trade, in exchange for blueliner Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor.

In his half-season in Vancouver, Heinen scored six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 51 games. Heinen is in the second season of the two-year contract he signed with the Canucks in July 2024. The deal has an AAV of $2.25 million.