Cam Fowler’s arrival in St. Louis couldn’t have gone any better.
After playing 991 career games — all with the Anaheim Ducks — Fowler was traded to the St. Louis Blues last December and quietly put together one of the best performances by a defenseman in the League.
Fowler ranked in the Top 10 in points amongst defenseman (36) in the regular season since his arrival, made a career memory by scoring two goals in the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago in his 1,000th NHL game, and led the Blues in scoring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 points. Only Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen (12), Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor (12), Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (11) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (11) had more points through one round.
“You bring in somebody that had an impact that Fowler had on our group, sliding into your Top 4, Top 3, likely Top 2… statistically being one of the top players in the game at his position from the day he got here… I think we’ve shored up our Top 4 D for now,” said Blues President and General Manager Doug Armstrong.
STL@CHI: Fowler scores in 1,000th game
Fowler has one year remaining on his contract, but stated in his postseason media availability that he would be very happy to discuss sticking around much longer than that.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Fowler said. “Those decisions and those conversations will have to be something we go through over the summer with Doug and the whole [hockey operations] group here, but I would love to be around as long as they’d like me here. I honestly can’t say enough about this team, this city and what it means to be a Blue and what that means for the players and for the fans and the community. It’s something I’ve really enjoyed.”
“He looks like a great-conditioned athlete, he’s a great person and I’m getting to see that more and more every day,” Armstrong said of Fowler. “He’s fitting into where we are next year and we’ll see about moving forward.”
“I’m really happy with how everything has turned out,” Fowler added. “Me and my family have been so happy here with this team. I’m really excited for the future. I definitely feel like I’m a part of this group now and the way everyone has welcomed me into the locker room has made that transition very easy for me. I’m very thankful for that. I’m really excited about our group and what lies ahead in the future.”
