On Sunday the Anaheim Ducks traded their current longest tenured player, Cam Fowler and a 2027 4th round pick for Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 2nd round pick. $2.5 Million was retained on Fowler’s contract.

This season, Fowler had 4 assists in 17 games played for the Ducks. Biakabutuka had a goal and 3 assists in 13 games in the ECHL and no points in his one AHL performance this season. With the Ducks recently acquiring Jaccob Trouba, they had a crowded blue line with 8 NHL defenseman on their roster. Combine that with Fowler’s all-around game regressing in the last couple of seasons, and the Ducks having younger options; Fowler became the odd man out.

I think that the Ducks made out very well with the return as Fowler is not the defenseman he used to be and the upgrade from the 4th round to the 2nd round is nice. For the Blues, with Nick Leddy being sidelined since October with no timeline on return, Fowler was a tempting trade target for them. 

Fowler is a downgrade on Leddy, the mobility and the ability to break out of the defensive zone with a good first pass to get the rush going are aspects of Leddy’s game that the Blues have missed that Fowler can help with.

However, I have some concerns for the Blues with this trade because of Fowler’s inconsistent defensive play and the current direction they are going in. The Blues now do not have a 2nd round pick for the next 3 years and even with Fowler the Blues have an unlikely shot to make the playoffs. As for Biakabutuka, he will be an AHL defenseman at best and is unlikely to make an impact for the Ducks in the future.