In a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, Doug Armstrong and the St. Louis Blues have acquired veteran defenseman Cam Fowler and a 2027 4th-round draft pick, in exchange for defenseman prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 2nd-round draft pick. This is the Blues' first big trade of the season, and it signals several interesting things about the Blues this season and looking ahead.
What does the Cam Fowler trade signal about the Blues in 2024-25?
Like it or not, the acquisition of defenseman Cam Fowler indicates that Armstrong and the Blues intend to make the playoffs this season. To some, this may be stating the obvious, but this is an interesting pivot from a team that is only a few months removed from openly referring to themselves as still firmly in retool mode. How did we get here?
It seems as though the developmental strides taken by Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway this season have accelerated the timeline of the retool to the extent that Armstrong feels comfortable making a run for the playoffs. Pair that with the urgency with which Armstrong hired Jim Montgomery, and all signs point to a playoff push.
The Cam Fowler trade also suggests that veteran defenseman Nick Leddy, who has been out since mid-October with an undisclosed injury, is unlikely to return any time soon. The Blues top defensemen were being overworked, and their young defensemen (Scott Perunovich, Matthew Kessel, P.O. Joseph) were getting more ice time as relatively inexperienced players than you typically see on a team with playoff aspirations. Fowler was brought in to address both of those issues - to alleviate an overworked blue line and to balance out the D-corps' youth with some experience.
The Blues aren't giving up anything for Fowler and Anaheim is retaining salary.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) December 14, 2024
My reaction to this trade is that Leddy isn't going to return from his injury in the foreseeable future and the Blues wanted more veteran depth. #stlblues
What does the Fowler trade mean for the Blues' retool?
The short answer is: nothing. However, it's naturally more complicated than that. While Fowler shouldn't be a long-term consideration on St. Louis's roster, the move itself has some interesting implications for the future of the team.
Despite desires to make the playoffs this season, the Blues do not quite measure up with established Stanley Cup contenders in the NHL. Their true window of contention is dependent on the continued development of Jake Neighbours, Broberg, and Holloway, as well as the arrival of key prospects like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Adam Jiricek. So, how does Fowler's arrival impact that plan?
On the ice, Fowler should primarily alleviate the Blues' dependence on Broberg. Broberg has been an amazing player for St. Louis this season and he should continue to be utilized as one of the team's top assets, however, he has only recently returned from a knee injury, and is seeing more ice time than ever before in his career (21:05 average time on ice, relative to a 14:22 career average). Broberg is playing like a top player, but as a 23-year-old, he is still firmly in the developmental stage, and the Blues should take care not to overwork him too quickly.
Contract-wise, the Blues are only on the hook to pay Fowler $4 million this season and next, with the Ducks retaining $2.5 million of his $6.5 million contract. When Fowler becomes a UFA, it'll be time for the Blues to hand out extensions to Broberg and Holloway, so the deal shouldn't impact those negotiations. At that point, Torey Krug and Justin Faulk will each only have 1 season remaining on their contracts, assuming they haven't already been moved. When that time comes, the Blues may be ready to land a big defenseman through free agency or the trade market, call up defensemen prospects like Adam Jiricek and Theo Lindstein, or (hopefully) both.
While the Fowler deal isn't a huge needle-mover, it's a clear improvement for the Blues in the short term that won't hinder them in the long term. Fowler patches a hole for St. Louis, while still giving them flexibility to make bigger moves soon.