ST. LOUIS – Cam Fowler is staying put. The St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] veteran defenseman agree to terms on a three-year contract extension for $18.3 million ($6.1 million average annual value). The contract also calls for a full no-trade for the upcoming season, then the first two years of the extension, then a 15-team no-trade kicks in Jan. 1, 2029 of final season of contract. “I’m thrilled,” Fowler said Saturday night. “I can’t say enough about the guys in the locker room and management, everybody here and how they’ve welcomed me and my family, the fans and all the support that we’ve had. I appreciate the support from management to get this done and as a player here, I’m really excited for the next few years and being a part of this team, so very grateful.” Fowler, acquired Dec. 14, 2024 from the Anaheim Ducks [http://thn.com/anaheim] for a pick and prospect, became an instant fit with the Blues and playing with partner Colton Parayko; he had one year remaining on his current contract that has him at a $6.5 million AAV, of which the Blues are on the hook for $4 million AAV. “A combination of everything,” Fowler said of his decision to extend. “It’s this team, it’s the guys we have in the locker room, the coaching staff with ‘Monty’ and ‘Webby’ and ‘Otter’. I come to the rink and I’m excited to be here. I’m happy to be a part of this team, the connection the team has with the city too is something that is special to me. 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.” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the contract was important to get done before the season started. “We talked over the summer and said training camp would be a good time to initiate conversations there and we’ll get through the summer,” Armstrong said. “Pat Brisson and I maybe talked 10 days ago and sort of told him what the framework that was acceptable for both sides term-wise and then we got into the finances. It started with we really wanted Cam here, we’ve loved everything he’s done and he loves it here. It felt natural when we started to talk that both sides wanted to get something done. My experience on free agency is that teams nowadays if you don’t get it done by January 1st, then it gets right to June 25th or 26th We talked, we both wanted to see if we could get something done and if not, we were going to park it. We didn’t want it lingering into the season. So we got it done. “It was just the conversations. He’s a veteran player. He’s certainly experienced enough and mature enough to play on the last year of his contract, but there was a situation where I looked at what we need right now as the Blues organization and what he provides. There’s risk on all contracts, but he’s such a good skater and I think he’ll last the term of this contract with his legs. I think having him and Parayko now as veteran guys on our left and right side. We have younger players that are like 22, 23 area in (Philip) Broberg and (Logan) Mailloux, and then we have younger players coming behind that. We believe we have a good balance that this contract is not going to hold anyone out. But it’s also not going to force us to rush anybody.” Fowler had four assists in 17 games with the Ducks, then came to the Blues and was an instant success; he finished with 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) in 51 games, then added 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in the seven-game first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets [http://thn.com/winnipeg]. Fowler and Parayko now will be a staple of the Blues’ defense for the next four seasons. “I’m going to have to give that (credit) to the coaches,” Armstrong said. “What I like about them is they both have excellent feet, they can both skate, they have a massive wind span, so they kill a lot of plays down low with their stick and then they have the ability to get to loose pucks. And then again, moving forward, you have the size of Broberg that can do that and Mailloux can do that. I think having reach and skating ability is an asset and now I think we have four guys, some of them under contract, and some of them restricted free agents, so we’re in a good spot.” Associate coach Steve Ott said that the coaching staff trusted the pair almost instantaneously. “Once it went together, the way they are able to shut down top lines and contribute offensively, I think both of them had almost career years in the sense of that,” Ott said. “The rebirth of ‘Fowls’ basically since he came on the trade and ‘Pary,’ he scored 15-16 goals last year and they became a duo that played a 200-foot game. The trust level that we have as a coaching staff, we know when they go over the ice, the job gets done. “That’s a heck of a signing, right? It’s a great trade when we got him. It boosts our power play tremendously, but not only that, the way he covers ice, you saw it today, he’s all over the ice in all situations. The power play, he adds another element. His deception is high-end as it can, and he just brings a calming, pro attitude every single day. We’re really excited and what a great signing. We’re looking forward to the next three years with him.” So the Blues have their top defensive unit locked up for the next four years. “I’m excited,” Parayko said. “Obviously great player, great teammate. Just as soon as he got here, can’t say enough good things about him. And just such a great player. We’re really lucky to have a player like him personally. Great teammate. I know everyone respects him. He’s been around the league for a long time. You just watch the way he skates, shoots and finds guys. Just his overall, everything about him is great. Just lucky to have him in the Bluenote for that long.” Fowler said before the season, whenever, it was just a matter of finding common ground and getting things accomplished so he can focus on the task at hand. “I think if it’s a situation that works for both sides, in training camp, having the discussions that we had, I think it would be nice to have something done heading into the season, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” he said. “That’s why I’m happy and thankful for ‘Army’ and ‘Steener’ and the guys involved that we were able to do something here relatively quick. The whole process was very respectful on both sides and went very smoothly. I haven’t really played in my career where I was coming up as a UFA. Knowing that I wanted to be here and the team saw a future for me, I think it was something that worked out on both sides. “I think it was just important to hear their vision for the next few years, especially for me. I still have another year here, so it’ll be three years after this next coming season, so that’s a good chunk of time. Just making sure the vision with the team lined up with how I saw things. It certainly did. We have a team here that we feel has the opportunity here 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.”
