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ST. LOUIS -- Looking back to Dec. 14, Cam Fowler wasn't really sure what to expect when the Anaheim Ducks traded the defenseman to the St. Louis Blues.
Having spent 14-plus seasons with the Ducks and in Orange County, California living is all the 33-year-old knew.
Until he gave the Gateway to the Midwest a chance.
And looking back, it was the greatest of moves for the Windsor, Ontario native.
Fowler has one year remaining on his contract for 2025-26 and he would love nothing more than to extend his stay with the Blues past next season.
"Yeah, absolutely," Fowler said Tuesday at the end-of-season locker cleanout day. "Those decisions and those conversations will have to be something that we go through over the summer with Doug [Armstrong] and the whole group here. I would love to be around as long as they'd like me here. I just honest can't say enough about this team and this city and what it means to be a Blue and what that means for the players and for the fans in the community. It's just something that I've really enjoyed. If those conversations come up, I'd be happy to talk about that and we'll see what the summer brings with all of that."
When Armstrong made the move to acquire Fowler for a second round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka, little did he know that the Blues would be getting this kind of production.
"We were lucky to get Fowler," Armstrong said. "You bring in somebody that had an impact that Fowler had on our group sliding into your top four, top three, likely top two, statistically being one of the top players in the game at his position from the day he got here.
"... With regards to Fowler, he looks like a great-conditioned athlete. He's a great person. I'm getting to see that more and more every day and he's fitting into where we are next year and we'll see about moving forward."
Fowler had four assists in 17 games with the Ducks prior to the trade; he had 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) in 51 games after arriving in St. Louis and currently leads all defensemen in playoff points with 10 (two goals, eight assists). His 36 points was in the top 10 among D-men since his trade to St. Louis and only Zack Weresnki (36), Rasmus Dahlin (35), Cale Makar (34) and Devon Toews (29) had more than Fowler's 28 even-strength points since his arrival to the Blues.
"I've said this a lot, but I'm so grateful and so thankful to this organization from top to bottom for giving me this opportunity and making me and my family feel so comfortable here," Fowler said. "As scary as that decision was at the time, I'm really happy with how things have turned out and me and my family have been so happy here and with this team. I'm really excited for the future and I definitely feel like I'm a part of this group now and the way that everyone has welcomed me into the locker room has made that transition easy for me. I'm so thankful for that and to all these guys. I'm really excited about our group and what lies ahead in the future."
Fowler has one year and $6.5 million left (the Blues cap hit is $4 million, the Ducks are picking up the other $2.5 million) on his deal. Depending on the money, extending him another 2-3 years as long as he stays as well-conditioned as he is wouldn't be a stretch. Stay tuned.
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