Confirmed Trade: [ANA/STL] Cam Fowler and 2027 4th round pick for 2027 2nd round pick and Jeremie Biakabutuka

[LetsGoBLUES91]

From Newport Beach to St. Louis. That’s gotta f***ing suck.

I guarantee you have never been here. He probably likes a passionate fanbase.

 

[Reality Czech]

Fowler is still a second pairing D, the hate has to do more with coaching and usage and what he could have been. This year has been bad (maybe he's checked out?).

He shouldn't be used on the top pair, he's probably a low to mid end #3 but don't expect him to carry the 2nd pairing with a #6/7 D as his partner. He can play PK2 and PP2 but his shot isn't good (both how hard it is and getting it past opponents shin pads) and he's not physical. He'll join the rush and still can move, just not like he used to when his skating was legitimately top end.

Basically he just needs to fill Leddy's role. Not a true top pair D but serviceable and reliable. Him and Parayko were deployed as the top defensive pair and Faulk/Broberg as more of an offensive pair. Not a long term solution but our top 3 guys + Suter just need someone to lighten the load for them right now. They've been asked to do too much. Not a long term solution but if Leddy isn't coming back soon we needed another veteran body back there.

It also makes sense for the Ducks considering they just got Trouba.

 

[Treb]

Who are those tons of talents in the AHL?
Question given first he was on a try-out with Detroit, then played some games for Grand Rapids and then signed with St. Louis before being traded to Anaheim, so someone must see something in him as a what looks to be defensive defenseman.

He was a free wallet. Free wallets often don't work out.

 

[dgibb10]

Losing a retention slot for the next two TDL's has to be part of the trade as well. And I believe the Ducks also take on $3 million in additional cap space between the two trades.

4 mill in cap spae lmao

 

[Unholy]

Ugh this stings just from an emotional sense. Someone who I had wished would spend his whole career here. PV trying everything he can to not fire the coach and hope they both will keep their jobs

 

[tomd]

4 mill in cap spae lmao

They sent Vaak to the Rangers who had a $1 million cap hit.

 

[lwvs84]

he's been bad for the last couple seasons. his regression is mainly due to losing a step which has slowed him down and affected his skating, which has always been his biggest strength

I agree, but at his best he was a high end #3 and had stretched where he was a top pair guy. On a good team he probably would have been a good/decent #3 the last couple of years, but he seemed worse because he was used as a #1. He's still a 3 on a playoff team, but probably not a contender.

Basically he just needs to fill Leddy's role. Not a true top pair D but serviceable and reliable. Him and Parayko were deployed as the top defensive pair and Faulk/Broberg as more of an offensive pair. Not a long term solution but our top 3 guys + Suter just need someone to lighten the load for them right now. They've been asked to do too much. Not a long term solution but if Leddy isn't coming back soon we needed another veteran body back there.

It also makes sense for the Ducks considering they just got Trouba.

Parayko may have to do a lot of heavy lifting on the pair. It's tough to say because it's been a LONG time since Fowler wasn't the best vet D on his pair. Maybe the change of scenery wakes him up a bit, but I'd be cautious of giving him too many hard minutes. Unless the top pair doesn't play as much and the minutes are spread out between the three pairings.

 

[AHLdepth]

I'm pretty sure that prospect is a pokemon....

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

St Louis is definitely a Fowler away from being a Stanley cup champion

 

[NWWisconsinDuck]

Good Luck, St. Louis. You’re gonna need it

 

[Sota Popinski]

From Newport Beach to St. Louis. That’s gotta f***ing suck.

Yeah I feel really bad for this guy that's made tens of millions because he has to move for a year and a half for work

 

[Mike C]

As a Blues fan, I like Fowler, but this is not a glaring need for us as much as a 2c behind Robby is

Leddy probably out long term and wanted another vet

He'll help. He's a good offensive D, solid on PP and a good addition in light of Krug and Leddy being out. Close enough to wild card spot with season really starting in earnest as conference/division play goes into high gear. As a neutral observer, I really like this for STL

 

[Reality Czech]

I agree, but at his best he was a high end #3 and had stretched where he was a top pair guy. On a good team he probably would have been a good/decent #3 the last couple of years, but he seemed worse because he was used as a #1. He's still a 3 on a playoff team, but probably not a contender.



Parayko may have to do a lot of heavy lifting on the pair. It's tough to say because it's been a LONG time since Fowler wasn't the best vet D on his pair. Maybe the change of scenery wakes him up a bit, but I'd be cautious of giving him too many hard minutes. Unless the top pair doesn't play as much and the minutes are spread out between the three pairings.

It's possible they keep Broberg with Parayko and put Fowler with Faulk. We'll have to wait and see. After Leddy went down we had Suter playing with Parayko and actually did decent for awhile. But that was never going to last. Parayko is used to doing heavy lifting on D, though Fowler isn't the skater Broberg and Leddy are. Guess it's up to Monty to decide what to do.

 

[dgibb10]

They sent Vaak to the Rangers who had a $1 million cap hit.

And that roster spot will have to be replaced with another player.

They also could have simply placed Vaak on waivers.

Trading fully buriable players isn't real cap savings.

They replaced 1 roster spot at 4 mill (after retention) with a roster spot at 8 mill.

 

[Reality Czech]

St Louis is definitely a Fowler away from being a Stanley cup champion

Thankfully we've got another solid young D we got for a second this past off-season. Your team could probably use some help on D as well huh.

 

[MMC]

Ducks fans are really treating this player with class on his way out yowza

I’m sorry this happened to you

 

[Stealth JD]

How do you pronounce that?

Fow-ler

 

[HanSolo]

Nothing for love for Cam but this was needed and damn was not expecting Verbeek to get that much with the way he's been playing. Thanks Doug.

 

[StickShift]

Parayko, Faulk, Krug, Leddy, and now Fowler.

Nothing is going to stop St. Louis from winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.

 

[BKarchitect]

Nobody thinks the Blues are going to compete this year but clearly this is a culture/development move in the sense that it should gives the banged up Blues defense some more stability. Having Ryan Suter continue to play 20+ minutes a night is not good in any aspect.

I don’t think Monty joined to do a 5 year rebuild - and sometimes the best way to develop your young talent is to buttress a few key positions with veteran stability.

The fact that Fowler will be there next season as well is, I think, key. It sets the Blues up to have more options for 25-26, when I think they would like to start winning a few more games. Krug is probably finished so Fowler is essentially a rather significant upgrade on that spot for two years.

 

[Ezpz]

Brock Nelson and Brendan Gallagher are now the only 2010 draftees left with their original club. Never expected Gally would be the longest since Nelson is likely gone at the deadline.

Not a terrible gamble for st. Louis Fowler has been on bad teams for a while but consistently was a 30-40 point guy. This is the first year he's downright bad and it's only 4 mil for two years.

 

[Thallis]

Nobody thinks the Blues are going to compete this year but clearly this is a culture/development move in the sense that it should gives the banged up Blues defense some more stability. Having Ryan Suter continue to play 20+ minutes a night is not good in any aspect.

I don’t think Monty joined to do a 5 year rebuild - and sometimes the best way to develop your young talent is to buttress a few key positions with veteran stability.

The fact that Fowler will be there next season as well is, I think, key. It sets the Blues up to have more options for 25-26, when I think they would like to start winning a few more games. Krug is probably finished so Fowler is essentially a rather significant upgrade on that spot for two years.

The problem is those "few key positions" are essentially the entire defense.

 

[The Shadow]

I think there’s a very good chance he improves his game immediately with a change of scenery

 

[Sota Popinski]

How do you pronounce that?

Bee-ocka-buh-too-kuh

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I think there’s a very good chance he improves his game immediately with a change of scenery

Going to a Montgomery coached team, after a decade of Carlyle/Eakins/Cronin will surely be a welcome change