Anaheim Ducks extend Cam Fowler for eight seasons
The Anaheim Ducks locked up young defenseman Cam Fowler until 2025-26.
The Anaheim Ducks took care of one of their own as free agency opened on Saturday afternoon, signing Cam Fowler to an eight-year deal worth $52 million. That works out to an average cap hit of $6.5 million a season.
Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the story.
Fowler, 25, had one year left on his deal at $4 million for the upcoming season. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next year, but the Ducks took him off the market a year early.
The left-handed defenseman put up 39 points in 80 games for the Ducks last season. His 11 goals last year were a career high. He also chipped in with nine points in 13 playoff games.
The deal keeps Anaheim’s defensive core of Fowler, Sami Vatanen, and Hampus Lindholm intact for the foreseeable future. All three are under contract until 2021, when Vatanen will become an unrestricted free agent. The Ducks will be paying those three a combined $16.5 million starting next year.
Fowler was drafted 12th overall by the Ducks in 2010. In 494 career games, he’s registered 45 goals and 217 points while have a 177 plus/minus rating. He was selected to his first All-Star game last season.
The Ducks went to the Western Conference Finals last year, losing in six games to the Nashville Predators. As Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf head into their mid-30’s, it’s important for them to keep the core group together in order to make another run at the Cup.
This is a solid deal for Anaheim as Fowler could have commanded upwards of $7 million on the open market next offseason. The term is questionable, but young left-handed defense doesn’t come cheap in today’s NHL.