Multiple times now, Cam Fowler has chosen St. Louis.
When he accepted a trade to the Blues last December, he waived his no-trade clause to come to St. Louis. Now, after signing a three-year contract extension worth $6.1 million annually, Fowler has picked St. Louis once again.
“I come to the rink and I’m excited to be here, and happy to be a part of this team, and the connection that the team has with the city, too, is something that is special to me,” Fowler said. “My family and my boys, we’re just very comfortable here. From my perspective, it really wasn’t a hard decision. I’m grateful that they see an opportunity here for me and that’s something that means a lot to me as a player.”
Fowler’s extension was announced during the second intermission of the Blues’ 4-2 preseason loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday night, a piece of news that overshadowed whatever happened on the ice at Enterprise Center.
Fowler, 33, was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, but is now under contract through the 2028-29 season. He will play out this season on his existing contract before his extension starts in 2026-27.
According to PuckPedia, Fowler has a no-trade clause that kicks in immediately and then goes to Jan. 1, 2029, when it drops to a 15-team no-trade clause.
“I’m on the second half of my career here, and I want to be playing meaningful hockey games with a group that I enjoy coming to the rink and being around,” Fowler said. “That’s what we have here in this locker room.”
The Blues acquired Fowler on Dec. 14, 2024 from Anaheim, sending a 2027 second-round pick and minor-league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to the Ducks for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Anaheim also agreed to retain $2.5 million of Fowler’s $6.5 million cap hit.
After he became a Blue, Fowler was tied for ninth in the NHL among defensemen with 36 points. In the playoffs, he had 10 points in seven games, becoming the first Blues defensemen to have 10 points in a single playoff series. He also piloted a power play that ranked fifth in the league after the Winter Classic.
“The power play, he adds another element to it, his deception is as high-end as it can (be),” Blues associate coach Steve Ott said. “He just brings a calming, pro attitude every single day. We’re really excited and what a great signing.”
In the past year, Fowler’s professional and personal life have changed drastically.
A year ago, he was on a rebuilding Ducks team that was pushing out a veteran like Fowler in order to make way for young, heralded defensemen in the pipeline. They took the power play time and the late-game ice time, leaving Fowler to look for a new home despite having played 15 seasons with the Ducks. In St. Louis, he found an organization in transition, but as Blues general manager Doug Armstrong noted on Saturday night, it’s a franchise “trying to balance adding young players to a veteran team that can win.”
“Sometimes, I just reflect back and I think about all those years in Anaheim, years that I’m grateful for and happy that I had the chance to play in Anaheim with a team that was nothing but great to me, and treated me with respect the whole time,” Fowler said. “Now here with this team, it kind of feels seamless in the way that the transition has been able to happen. That’s why when we had these conversations, it was just something that I didn’t really have to think too much about it.
“My family’s happy here. I’m happy here. All those years I had in Anaheim have led me to this position now where I’m with this team. That’s just the future and the mindset that I have moving forward.”
Fowler had spent his entire career with the Ducks, so the trade to St. Louis also brought personal change. His wife Jasmine was pregnant at the time, and their son Charlie was about to turn three years old. Beau was born in March, and the Fowlers have settled into their home in St. Louis now.
“When you’re moving your family across the country and you’re getting your kids in school and you’re finding a house and a place to live, those things can be stressful,” Fowler said. “We certainly felt a little bit of that stress last year. Now, coming back here, getting ready for training camp, we just feel comfortable.
“We’re in our house, Charlie’s in school, Beau’s getting big now, too. Things just feel comfortable here, and this team and this organization is a big part of that. The family side has to be taken care of when you’re thinking about your future. That’s something that’s very comfortable with my family now.”
Armstrong and GM-in-waiting Alexander Steen met with Fowler during training camp to pitch their vision of the club to Fowler, as a team returning to contention with a younger core on the way.
“Jut making sure that the vision with the team lined up with how I saw things,” Fowler said. “It certainly did. We have a team here that we feel has the opportunity to compete and do something special. I’m really happy to be a part of that. The main thing was just a clear vision on both sides that makes something like this possible. Those conversations were open and honest, and made my decision very easy.”
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Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch
Hockey reporter
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