On Dec. 14, the St. Louis Blues traded prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Cam Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Fowler played his first game with the Blues the same day and has played seven games since then. With the Blues taking on a cap hit with an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million – the Ducks retained 38 percent of his actual AAV of $6.5 million – he will have to prove his worth. Here’s a look at how Fowler has performed so far.
Fowler Not Putting Up Solid Point Production
In his last five games, Fowler has recorded five points. This season, he’s put up nine points (one goal, eight assists) through 24 games, which is not good compared to his last two seasons. While known for being a tremendous power-play defenseman, he hasn’t even recorded a single point on the man advantage this season, and he will be expected to play a key role in replacing Torey Krug.
Even with the Ducks, Fowler didn’t put up many points, with four through 17 games. He reached a career-high of 48 points in 2022-23; however, this season, he didn’t have a lot of good offensive options around him.
Fowler’s adjustment could be a factor, as he had a lot of talent around him in the earlier half of his career, such as Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Over time, the Ducks’ performance and talent level dwindled as they entered a rebuild. This forced Fowler to be a reliable option for offense. Now that he’s on a team with promising offensive players like Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Pavel Buchnevich, he could still show what he can bring to a roster.
Playing on a more offensive-minded defensive pairing with Justin Faulk would benefit his game. Faulk and Fowler have played together on Team USA at the World Championship and the 2014 Winter Olympics and have proven chemistry.
Playing a More Defensive Game with the Blues
Right now, Fowler is on the top defensive pair with Colton Parayko, who is known for his shutdown style of play. This has significantly affected Fowler’s defensive game. Since joining the Blues, he has had 18 blocks and one hit, averaging 6.97 blocks per 60 minutes and 0.38 hits per 60 minutes. In 17 games with the Ducks this season, he had 29 blocks and two hits, averaging 4.85 blocks per 60 minutes and 0.33 hits. Therefore, he’s increased his average defensive stats for blocks and hits per 60 minutes.
He’s also only given up the puck eight times with the Blues versus 15 times with the Ducks this season. He’s managed to go from a minus-7 to a plus-4 and has contributed well defensively. Fowler’s arrival also helped them allow no more than four goals per game. Before then, the Blues struggled to find another decent defensive defenseman with Nick Leddy on injured reserve (IR).
Losing Alex Pietrangelo was a big hit to the Blues’ defensive core, but now, they have more versatility with Fowler in the lineup, and he’s been able to play the role they need him to.
Fowler’s Defensive Presence Is Benefiting Goaltending
Fowler’s defensive performance has helped goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer avoid facing more shots. Binnington faced 94 shots, while Hofer faced 92 shots with Fowler on the ice. This means that Binnington faced 23.5 shots per game, and Hofer had an average of 23 shots against.
Before Fowler’s arrival, Binnington faced 582 shots with an average of 27.7 shots per game, and Hofer faced 255 shots with an average of 28.3 shots per game. Fowler has positively impacted the team by adjusting to a more defensive role.
So far, the results seem promising, and Fowler has benefited from the new team around him. As the remainder of the games continues, Fowler’s expectation of playing a shutdown defensive game will be high as long as the team’s goaltending receives less pressure from shots.
What Fowler’s Performance Could Bring
While it might not seem reasonable to have a defenseman like Fowler earning an AAV of $4 million, he’s filled the defensive gaps they needed to fix. If he keeps up this tremendous defensive performance, the Blues could become a tough team to beat in the Central Division. He still needs a little more time to settle in before his offensive game kicks in, but there is a possibility he could thrive on special teams and be a boost to the lineup overall.
