The St. Louis Blues swung a big trade with the Anaheim Ducks back in December. This trade saw Anaheim send veteran defenseman Cam Fowler to St. Louis in exchange for a prospect and a 2027 second-round pick. For the first time in his career, Fowler would play for a team other than the Ducks.
Anaheim was still a ways off from true postseason contention. The Blues, meanwhile, were only four points out of Wild Card contention. Moreover, they were only five points back of the Dallas Stars for third in the Central Division. They were well within striking distance when this deal went down.
Fowler undoubtedly played a major role in getting this team into the postseason. He scored nine goals and 36 points in 51 games as a member of the Blues last season. St. Louis went on to claim the second Wild Card in the West, beating out the Calgary Flames on a tiebreaker.
The Blues did fall to the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, it was clear that Fowler was an important part of this team. On Saturday, St. Louis showed how much he meant to them, signing him to a three-year contract extension.
“I’m thrilled,” Fowler said after signing his new deal, via NHL.com. “I can’t say enough about the guys in the locker room and management, everybody here and how they’ve welcomed me and my family, the fans and all the support that we’ve had. I appreciate the support from management to get this done and as a player here, I’m really excited for the next few years and being a part of this team, so very grateful.”
Blues, Cam Fowler Wanted To Get Something Done
Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesCam Fowler made quite the first impression after a trade to the St. Louis Blues.
Contract discussions in any sport are certainly easier said than done. Teams and players talk about how much they want to re-sign and how much they love their situation. And yet, a lot of contract talks drag on.
Take Ducks star Mason McTavish as an example. Anaheim finally signed McTavish to a six-year contract extension on Saturday. But those talks spanned the entire offseason and into a good portion of training camp.
Fowler’s situation was different, but McTavish is one example of an occuring trend in the NHL. A prolonged discussion was not something St. Louis wanted, and Fowler didn’t either. As a result, they worked to get something done.
“My experience on free agency is that teams nowadays if you don’t get it done by January 1st, then it gets right to June 25th or 26th. We talked, we both wanted to see if we could get something done and if not, we were going to park it. We didn’t want it lingering into the season, so we got it done,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said, via NHL.com.
Fowler Contract Extension Came Naturally
Armstrong clearly liked Fowler’s game last season, considering the trade. The veteran rearguard proved the veteran general manager correct to make a move for him. After seeing how he fit into the team, Armstrong knew Fowler had to remain in St. Louis.
“It started with we really wanted Cam here, we’ve loved everything he’s done and he loves it here. It felt natural when we started to talk that both sides wanted to get something done,” Armstrong said of the negotiations, via NHL.com.
Fowler is inked for the foreseeable future. And he has a chance to truly make an impact in his first full season with the Blues. St. Louis opens its 2025-26 NHL season on October 9th against Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild.
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