Greg Wyszynski, ESPN
The Blues from St. Louis they acquired a defender Cam Fowler With Anaheim Ducks to strengthen their offense in the playoffs.
The Blues traded a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 22-year-old minor league defenseman Jeremy Biakabutuka to Anaheim for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round draft pick.
Most importantly, the Ducks retain 38.5% of Fowler’s $6.5 million cap. The 33-year-old defender signed a contract for the 2025-26 season. Fowler has a limited no-trade clause that requires him to submit a four-team trade list to the Ducks before the season.
“After several meetings with Cam over the last few months, it has become clear to us that it may be time for a change. As always, Cam approached this process professionally and remained committed to the Ducks,” Anaheim General Manager Pat Verbeek said.
Fowler spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Ducks, who selected him 12th overall in the 2010 draft. He is the most effective defender in the club’s history, scoring 457 points in 991 games.
He also leads the franchise in goals (96), assists (361) and appearances among defenders. Of all players, only center Ryan Getzlaf (1,157) appeared in more games with Anaheim.
Fowler is considered a good puck-moving defenseman with above-average passing ability, but he has been the Ducks’ primary defensive player over the past few seasons, averaging 24 minutes a night for a rebuilding squad. His minus-66 since the 2022-2023 season was fourth-worst among all NHL players.
He has four assists in 17 games this season, giving him a minus-7. He missed time with an upper-body injury.
“This was a difficult trade considering how much Cam meant to this organization,” Verbeek said. “He was a valued and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with the highest caliber. His character and contributions on and off the ice [left] and will continue to make a positive impact on our fans and community.”
Biakabutuka played in the AHL for a while, but spent most of his professional career in the ECHL. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
This is the second significant move on Anaheim’s blue line to acquire a defenseman Jakub Piekarnik With Guardians of New York last week. In Fowler, the Blues add another veteran to an experienced backroom group.
His addition could be a signal for this defender Nick Leddy will be out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Leddy has been sidelined since Oct. 15 and recently underwent further evaluation for a lower-body injury. With salary retained, Fowler’s cap hit will be $4 million – the amount Leddy’s contract counts towards the cap.
General Manager of St. Louis, Doug Armstrong, aggressively tried to turn around the Blues’ season, firing first-year coach Drew Bannister after 22 games and hiring former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. Since the change of coach, the St. Louis is 5-2-1.
