On Sept. 27, the St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Cam Fowler to a three-year extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $6.1 million. The deal solidified the team’s defensive corps and provided an additional first-line defenseman with lots of experience.
Last season, the Blues took a hit to their defensive depth when defenseman Torey Krug was diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle that required surgery. Krug’s injury also left him out for the entire season, and there are questions about whether he will ever return. Since then, the Blues have loaded up and completely restructured their defensive corps. Here’s a look at what it took to finally put together a decent defensive lineup.
Blues Move Out Old Defensemen and in With the New
The Blues’ defensive corps has changed drastically since the 2022-23 season. Players like Nick Leddy, Marco Scandella, Robert Bortuzzo, and even Krug took up the bulk of the Blues’ blue line outside of the top two at the time, Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk.
Three players – Leddy, Scandella, and Bortuzzo – were also on the decline or had big contracts that didn’t match their performance, meaning they had to go. Scandella retired after his three-year, $13.1 million contract expired in the 2024 offseason and was not offered a new one. The Blues placed Leddy on waivers, which eliminated his four-year, $16 million contract, and the San Jose Sharks claimed him. Then, in 2023-24, the Blues traded Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders for a 2024 seventh-round pick that became Matvei Korotky.
Related: Blues Sign Cam Fowler to a 3-Year Extension
The Blues then wasted no time in filling the holes on defense. In August 2024, they signed restricted free agent defenseman Philip Broberg to an offer sheet and traded defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka, a 2027 second-round pick, for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick. This offseason, the Blues traded forward Zachary Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Logan Mailloux.
Broberg and Fowler both had great seasons in 2024-25. Fowler led the team in playoff points in their First-Round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, and Broberg completed the season with a career high of 29 points. By the 2027 offseason, they will be able to get rid of Krug’s contract and create room for more top-four defensive options by promoting one of their prospects or finding one on the market.
New Leadership on the Blues’ Blue Line
With Fowler now extended, the Blues have a good mix of veteran and young defensemen on their blue line. At the end of the 2023-24 season, before they made significant changes to their defensive corps, the team ranked 24th in goal differential (minus-16) and quickly shot up to the top 10 in 2024-25 (plus-28).
Having veterans like Fowler, Parayko, and Faulk in the lineup will ultimately help their young players. We saw it with Broberg last season and could see it with Mailloux and possibly Matthew Kessel in 2025-26. Before, the only young defensemen they had were Kessel, Tyler Tucker, and Scott Perunovich, who was traded to the New York Islanders for a 2026 fifth-round pick last season.
The good thing is that the Blues kept two good veterans in Faulk and Parayko and built around them. Fowler is reliable, has deep playoff experience, and fits the Blues’ two-way defensive system. Bringing in two two-way defensemen like Mailloux and Broberg, who had few opportunities to play until now while carrying a boatload of potential, gives the Blues’ veterans young players to mentor and push them.
The Upside of the Blues’ Defensive Corps in the Long Run
This Blues roster has come a long way in just a few seasons. With the defensemen they have now, they are trying to rebuild what they once had in Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, and Vince Dunn.
Locking up Fowler for three years was a good move, especially at 33. It gives the team a veteran defender who can fill a top-pairing role while grooming their up-and-coming defensemen, Theo Lindstein and Adam Jiricek. Parayko fills the role that Pietrangelo once held as the franchise’s top homegrown defenseman and one of the only blueliners left from their 2019 Stanley Cup-winning roster. Faulk is a versatile defenseman who can lead the way offensively, gives their second pair a right-hand shot to rely on, and has veteran experience.
Having this much experience around Broberg, Mailloux, and Kessel should prepare them for bigger roles in the future as their three veteran defensemen near the end of their time with the Blues, and, hopefully, help establish St. Louis as one of the best defensive corps in the league.
