Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler traded to Blues - ESPN

The St. Louis Blues have acquired defenseman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks to bolster their playoff push.

The Blues traded a 2027 second-round pick and 22-year-old minor league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to Anaheim for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Crucially, the Ducks are retaining 38.5% of Fowler's $6.5 million cap hit. The 33-year-old defenseman is signed through the 2025-26 season. Fowler has a limited no-trade clause in which he submits a four-team trade list to the Ducks every offseason.

«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,» Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said.

Fowler had spent the entirety of his 15-year NHL career with the Ducks, who selected him 12th overall in the 2010 draft. He is the highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history, with 457 points in 991 games.

He is also the franchise leader in goals (96), assists (361) and appearances among defensemen. Among all skaters, only center Ryan Getzlaf (1,157) appeared in more games with Anaheim.

Fowler is considered a good puck-moving defenseman with above-average passing skills, but he has been a defensive liability for the Ducks over the past few seasons while averaging 24 minutes per night for a rebuilding squad. His minus-66 since 2022-23 was fourth worst among all NHL players.

He has four assists in 17 games this season, skating to a minus-7. He missed time with an upper-body injury.

«This was a difficult trade to make, considering what Cam has meant to this organization,» Verbeek said. «He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons,