Yahoo Sports Fowler's Fit With Blues Better Than Anyone Could Have Imagined
ST. LOUIS -- Fourteen-plus years with one organization, one system can be tough to turn the page on and in an instant, flip the program to a completely different system.
He had only known Ducks tactics, Ducks uniforms, Ducks teammates, Ducks coaches, Ducks organization, Ducks games ... 991 of them since he was the 12th pick in the 2010 NHL Draft.
All of it whisked away in a moment's notice. Well, the 33-year-old had an idea something was coming because the two sides had been planning for a fresh start since last summer. Fowler just didn't know exactly when it was going to come. Not getting a sniff of the playoffs since 2016-17 will do that when a veteran sees an extended rebuild.
But talk about changing on a dime and fitting like a glove.
This transition from California living to the Midwest couldn't have worked out better for Fowler or the Blues.
After a one-goal, two-assist game on Friday along with a plus-2 rating, six blocked shots in 21:48 ice time, Fowler has one goal and four assists, a plus-6 and averaging 22:08 ice time with Colton Parayko on the top defensive pairing.
How has this happened so quickly?
On Fowler's first day as a Blue, he flew from Columbus to Dallas to get into the lineup that night instead of waiting for the following night for a home game against the New York Rangers. And after a rushed 48 hours, it was time to find a place to live in the meantime, all while leaving an expecting wife and young child in California.
He did get to stay behind after the 4-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday to cross the Detroit River into his hometown of Windsor, Ontario to see his parents, then fly to Newport Beach to see his wife and child.
Meanwhile, welcome to St. Louis.
"I knew it was going to be a transition for me. I had been in one place for 14 years and I had become really comfortable there, but I have to give credit to the organization for making it so seamless for me, making myself and my family feel welcome," Fowler said. "I get to play with a great d-partner who makes life easy and play for a great coach, an organization that believes in their players. They've made my job easy and I can just go out and focus on hockey and try to do the best I can. But I've been so thankful and grateful for how everyone's treated me since I've come here. It's made the transition a lot easier on me."
The Blues made sure the transition was seamless, but even they're tickled by what they've seen.
"I knew he was a really good player. I knew," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "You don't get drafted where he got drafted by fluke. You don't play that long in one place without being a cornerstone of a franchise.
"I did not know he was as good as he is. You hadn't played Anaheim all that much. Anaheim really hasn't been in the playoffs for a while, so you don't see them play a lot on TV and in big games, so I hadn't seen Fowler play a lot. Just getting to watch him play, his defensive hockey sense is way beyond what I thought it was, just because you notice how well he skates and how well he passes the puck. I knew he would transition for us really well, I knew he would be a big part in helping our offensive game grow. He recognizes danger and takes things away. Almost puts the puck carrier on pause because his first option's taken away by Cam. That gives our back-checkers or whatever the scenario is, his d-partner time to go and kill the play with the puck on the stick a little longer. So the puck doesn't move as quick."
Fowler had his pick of the litter of where he could get moved to. His contract, an eight-year, $52 million ($6.5 million average annual value), carried a four-team trade list. The Blues were not one of them.
He had to waive it to come to St. Louis, which he chose to do.
Why?
"There's a variety of different things," Fowler said. "I think just in the point I was at in my career, kind of looking towards the future, I felt like I had given Anaheim everything that I possibly could and I just think of myself and my family, we were open for a change. I know that the Blues had been interested for a couple years now so we got the phone call that kind of the wheels were in motion. I looked at the roster, I looked at the coach, all the people on the team, I know how important this team is to the city and I just put it all together and took a leap of faith for my career honestly. It's early, but I'm super thankful that I've done that. I think it was just time to turn the page. The Blues were there and they were willing to take me and excited about having me. That was a big part of it as well."
Fowler has been a calming presence on the ice, no matter who his partner is -- it's been Parayko mostly -- and whoever the forwards are on the ice. He's not trying to put on a show; he's just simply making right reads, the smart reads, the correct reads, both offensively and defensively.
Get the puck out of danger, move it smoothly and go to work.
"He's definitely poised back there. I think he is calming," Parayko said. "Everybody knows how well of a skater he is. He can skate out of trouble, join the rush, just little things like that. He's been (in the NHL) for a long time and see it all. He's confident and poised. It definitely shows.
"Just the way that he plays. Obviously his skating, you notice how smooth he is. Just a very elite skater. I think the way he sees the ice is a lot different than a lot of players too. He's been around for obviously along time and he's seen a lot of different situations. With his skating and the way he sees the ice, he can read plays and just puts himself in good spots all the time, makes it easy for everybody, especially myself."
General manager Doug Armstrong went out and acquired someone with experience not knowing whether Nick Leddy (lower-body injury), who hasn't played since Oct. 15, will see the ice any time soon, or at all. He brought in someone that plays big minutes and someone hungry for a new challenge.
"I think him and 'Pary' have great chemistry," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "He's looking to make plays all the time, he's patient with the puck, he waits until the right plays open. In the o-zone, he's aggressive, he's down low, he's moving around, he's making great plays. It's been awesome for him. I said it after the Detroit game, he's getting more and more comfortable. It showed [Friday]. He's a big part of our team and we're lucky to have him.
"He plays big minutes. He plays with 'Pary.' He gets top lines. That's a big role. For him to show that patience and be able to make plays under pressure, it's really important."
The Blues have five defensemen (Fowler, Parayko, Justin Faulk, Philip Broberg and Ryan Suter) that can play big minutes. It was a no-brainer once Fowler got here. The Blues gave him the ice time, they said he was going to play 20-25 minutes a night and comfortable doing so.
Fowler has taken those minutes thus far and ran with them. Can the productivity keep up? Everyone would like to hope so. But so far, this marriage is off to a great start.
"I've had some good chemistry with 'Pairs' there and getting to play with him," Fowler said. "We feel we have depth up and down the lineup. It could be me and 'Pairs' one night where the minutes start to stack up. It was 'Faulker' and 'Broby' [Friday] night. It's nice to have that. As a coaching staff, you can lean on the players in certain situations and you know guys can step up and play big minutes for you. I know for me, I just try and always be available in those crucial times when the coaches need me and if they trust me to go out there, just go out and do the best I can."
