{"id":474951,"date":"2025-09-29T19:45:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=474951"},"modified":"2025-09-29T19:45:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:45:22","slug":"the-cam-fowler-extension-is-a-risk-worth-taking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/09\/29\/the-cam-fowler-extension-is-a-risk-worth-taking\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cam Fowler Extension Is a Risk Worth Taking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues extended veteran defenceman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/fowleca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-09-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Fowler<\/a> to a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/09\/27\/st-louis-blues-veteran-defenceman-signs-three-year-contract-extension\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">three-year contract<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. When the contract ends, Fowler will be 37 years old. Extending Fowler until his age 37 season certainly seems like a risk, but it is one worth taking.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fowler Extension Is a Risk Worth Taking<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Great First Impression<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fowler joined the Blues via <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/14\/anaheim-ducks-trade-long-tenured-defenceman\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">trade<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> last December. He made an immediate impact with the team. Playing mainly alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/parayco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-09-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colton Parayko<\/a>, Fowler scored nine goals and added 27 assists in 51 games. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Fowler recorded ten points in seven games, including <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/25\/pavel-buchnevich-and-cam-fowler-lead-st-louis-blues-to-game-3-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">five points in one game<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Game 3 Highlights: Blues 7, Winnipeg 2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gJoItGORmZs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fowler&#8217;s performance since joining the Blues certainly warranted the possibility of a contract extension. It should come as no surprise that Doug Armstrong and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/steenal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-09-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alexander Steen<\/a> wanted to keep him beyond this coming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Risk<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Whenever a player in his thirties is offered a multi-year extension, there is risk involved. Father Time is undefeated. As productive as Fowler has been in his career, a day may come when that production dips. That day could come during this new contract.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For Blues fans, the idea of Fowler declining during this contract is troubling for a few reasons. To start, the Blues are now emerging from a period during which they had multiple large contracts. This abundance of large contracts put the Blues in a tough spot with their salary cap. Furthermore, the play of the players in question was not always equaling the money the Blues were paying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a result, the idea of signing another player to a multi-year contract, one who is in his early thirties, may cause some concern for fans. To be concerned is reasonable considering everything we have discussed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Why the Risk Is Worth It<\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Father Time Has Not Shown Up Yet<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fowler has played 15 seasons in his career. His 82-game average is 82 games played, eight goals, and 31 assists. Fowler nearly matched all those totals in just 51 games with the Blues last season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Furthermore, the last time Fowler failed to record 30 or more points was during the 2020-21 season, a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last 82-game season in which Fowler failed to record 30+ points was the 2018-19 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Not only has Fowler been a consistent point producer, but he has also done so on an <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/09\/27\/anaheim-ducks-re-sign-gritty-top-six-centre\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Anaheim Ducks<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> team that has not been competitive. The Ducks last made the playoffs in the 2017-18 season. Fowler has consistently put up points, even when playing for a team that was not contending.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Simply put, there are no signs yet that Fowler is slowing down. Could that change? Of course. However, it is harder to justify a trade when the evidence suggests Father Time is catching up to the player.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Blues Do Not Need Fowler to be the Guy For Long<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fowler can be considered the third-best defenceman on the Blues, alongside Parayko and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/brobeph01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-09-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Philip Broberg<\/a>. The Blues will be counting on Fowler to be a key part of the Blues&#8217; defensive core.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, the Blues do not need Fowler to be that guy for long. The team hopes Broberg can continue to develop as someone who takes the role Fowler has: a reliable, left-handed, offensive defenceman. Furthermore, there is hope that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mailllo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-09-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Logan Mailloux<\/a> can become a strong offensive defenceman at some point. There are even names swimming in the Blues&#8217; prospect pool who could emerge to take a bigger role on defence. The biggest name at the moment is <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/06\/10\/2023-nhl-scouting-report-40-theo-lindstein\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Theo Lindstein<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, another left-handed defenceman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In a perfect world, Fowler plays the role of a key member for the next two seasons before other players begin taking that role. This would then place Fowler in a bottom pair role, which is reasonable for someone of Fowler&#8217;s age by that point. Is $6.1 million a high price to pay for a bottom-pair defenceman? It may be a price worth paying if other players are stepping up to a bigger role.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This deal is a unique type of bridge deal. Instead of a deal for a young player to bring them closer to free agency without the threat of an offer sheet, this deal seems to be taking the Blues from now to the point where players like Lindstein, Broberg, and Mailloux are ready to take the reins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Is there a risk? Absolutely. Is this risk worth it? Absolutely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo: Jeff Le- Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues extended veteran defenceman Cam Fowler to a three-year contract. When the contract ends, Fowler will be 37 years old. Extending Fowler until his age 37 season certainly seems like a risk, but it is one worth taking. Fowler Extension Is a Risk Worth Taking Great First Impression Fowler joined [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3464,"featured_media":474986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,4547,4548],"tags":[384,656,2801],"class_list":["post-474951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-alexander-steen","tag-cam-fowler","tag-doug-armstrong"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474951"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474987,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474951\/revisions\/474987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}