Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler traded to the Blues

St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks to bolster their playoff push.

The Blues traded a 2027 second-round pick and 22-year-old minor league outfielder Jeremie Biakabutuka to Anaheim for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Crucially, the Ducks retain 38.5% of Fowler’s $6.5 million cap hit. The 33-year-old defender is signed through the 2025-26 season. Fowler has a limited no-trade clause, sending a four-team trade list to the Ducks each offseason.

“After meeting with Cam several times over the past few months, it became clear to both of us that it might be time for a change. As usual, Cam handled the process with professionalism and remained committed to the Ducks,” Anaheim General Manager Pat Verbeek said.

Fowler had spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Ducks, who selected him 12th overall in the 2010 draft. He is the leading scoring defenseman in franchise history with 457 points in 991 games.

He is also the franchise leader in goals (96), assists (361) and appearances among defensemen. Among all skaters, only center Ryan Getzlaf (1,157) appeared in more games with Anaheim.

Fowler is considered a good puck-moving defenseman with above-average passing skills, but he has been a defensive liability for the Ducks over the past few seasons, averaging 24 minutes per game. night for a rebuilding team. His minus-66 since 2022-23 was the fourth-worst among all NHL players.

He has four assists in 17 games this season and skates to minus-7. He missed the season with an upper body injury.

“This was a tough trade to make given what Cam has meant to this organization,” Verbeek said. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class. His character and contributions on and off the ice have (left) and will continue to leave a positive impact on our fans and community.”

Biakabutuka has seen time in the AHL, but has 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 the blue line for Anaheim, which last week acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers. In Fowler, the Blues add another veteran to an experienced group at their back.

His addition could signal that defender Nick Leddy will be out long-term. Leddy has not played since October 15 and recently received further tests on a lower body injury. With the salary cap, Fowler’s cap hit is $4 million — which is what Leddy’s contract counts against the cap.

St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong has been aggressive in trying to turn around the Blues’ season, firing first-year coach Drew Bannister after 22 games to hire former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. St. Louis has gone 5-2-1 since the coaching change.