Cam Fowler Traded To St. Louis

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks traded Cam Fowler and a 2027 fourth round draft pick to the St. Louis Blues for a 2027 second round draft pick and prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka. The Ducks retained 38.5% of Fowler’s contract, which runs to the end of the 2025-26 season.

Elliotte Friedman broke the news early this morning that Anaheim was working on trading Fowler to St. Louis. He announced the final details about an hour later. Friedman had originally discussed the possibility of a Fowler trade before the season started. He then recently reported Pat Verbeek tried to include Fowler in the Jacob Trouba trade, so it seemed it wasn’t a matter of if this trade would happen, but rather when it would.

Fowler had played in 17 games this season and missed some due to injury. He posted 4 assists and had an on ice rating of -7. He was averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per game. He had spent his entire career in Anaheim playing 991 regular season games recording 457 total points (96 G + 361 A).

Biakabutuka is a 22 year old right handed defenseman, who is 6 foot 4 inches tall weighing 203 pounds. This season he played one game with the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds and 13 games with the ECHL Florida Everblades. He has 4 total points in the ECHL this season (1 G + 3 A) and a on ice rating of -1. His best minor league season was in 2022-23 with the Charlotte Islanders in the QMJHL. He posted 42 total points (17 G + 25 A) in 56 regular season games. He has been assigned to San Diego.

Anaheim Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek had this to say about Fowler:

“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization. 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 and will continue to leave a positive impact on our fans and community. After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change. As usual, Cam handled the process with professionalism and remained committed to the Ducks. Cam and his family deserve nothing but the best going forward, and we wish them the best of luck.”

Analysis:

Once the Ducks acquired Jacob Trouba, the urgency to trade Fowler picked up. Head Coach Greg Cronin seemed content to play Brian Dumoulin, Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, and Jacob Trouba every night, which limited the younger defensive players ice time. Cronin had been rotating Jackson LaCombe, Drew Helleson, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger as the two remaining defensemen. There are a few ways to solve this logjam which would have been benching a veteran blue liner (which we know wouldn’t likely happen) or trading one of them. In the end, the Ducks went the trade route which mostly everyone suspected would happen.

Verbeek was able to upgrade a fourth round pick to a second round pick and gained a prospect. Anaheim did have to retain 38.5%, but it could have been 50%. The Ducks also picked up a big sized defensive prospect. Biakabutuka is a good skater with a good hockey IQ, which leads to being in good positions defensively. He has some offensive upside to him that he displayed in the QMJHL, though he hasn’t been as much of an offensive threat in the AHL/ECHL. He helps add to the organization’s blue line depth in the minors at the very least and could crack the NHL one day.

Overall, this is a good, but not great, trade for Anaheim as they opened back up room on the blue line for the younger players which was lost from the Trouba trade. They also upgraded a draft pick and gained a prospect with potential. On a negative note, Anaheim did have to retain 38.5% of Cam’s salary for the remainder of this season and next year. Fowler needed to be traded, but Verbeek could have maybe gotten a better return from another team.

From the personal side of me as a fan, I am sad to see Cam Fowler go. He was the longest standing Duck on the team having started with them back in 2010. I remember going to Dux N Tux that season and he was the guest player at our table. He was a pleasure to talk to and to get to know. It was fun watching him during all the playoff runs the Ducks had in the 2010s. I had hoped to see him play his 1000th game in Anaheim. I wish him the best of luck in St. Louis and the rest of his career.

The Ducks will be in St. Louis on January 9th. Fowler will make his return to Anaheim on March 7th with the Blues.

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December 14th, 2024