When Cam Fowler was pursued and acquired by the St. Louis Blues two seasons ago, it was a slam dunk. He left Anaheim after 15 seasons and was playing with perfect cohesiveness within a week of playing with his new team.Â
But that all changed in 2025-26, as No. 17 reverted to his old ways with the Ducks. He was sloppy and an overall liability on the ice.Â
This upcoming season has a lot of trials and challenges ahead of a lot of members of this team, but for Fowler, it could be the biggest of them all. He has one thing to prove to this organization over the next 84 games.Â
Worth holding onto
Plain and simple. Fowler has to prove to new General Manager Alexander Steen that he is worth holding onto over the next three years of his brand-new contract worth $6.1 million AAV.Â
The Blues have a couple of prospects awaiting their turn with Springfield and the junior hockey level, and Fowler has to prove that he is not standing in the way. The only way he can do that is to repeat the same kind of performance when he got to St. Louis.Â
It seems that things have gone awry after the first-round playoff series against Winnipeg in 2024-25, which showcased Fowler as an elite force with 10 points in the seven-game series. Right from the very beginning of last season, there was something off with No. 17, and he could not recover. Going from a +19 to a -11 in consecutive seasons is not ideal.
New addition Brandon Carlo is not going to be the dividing line between Fowler being moved or not, but they can certainly take place next to each other on the second line. That would leave Parayko and Tucker as the third pairing.Â
Fowler needs to have a sense of security blanket alongside him on defense, as his offensive game has always been chosen as the preferred option. His usual spot on the first power-play unit might be compromised with a different look in 2026-27, but it can be regained with better play at 5-on-5.Â
Overall, Fowler has to have a much better campaign. It has to be complete, and consistent. If not, there is good possibility he will finish the year with the Blues, but a move could be made in the offseason depending on the expectancy of the younger blue liners.
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