ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Ducks traded Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, abruptly ending the veteran defenseman's 15-season tenure in Anaheim.
The Blues sent a second-round pick in 2027 and minor-league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to Anaheim for a fourth-round pick in 2027 and Fowler, the top-scoring defenseman in Ducks franchise history.
The 33-year-old Fowler was Anaheim's first-round pick in 2010, and he has scored 457 points for the Ducks after making the NHL roster as a teenager. He leads Anaheim in career goals (96), assists (361) and appearances (991) among defensemen.
Anaheim retained about 38.5% of Fowler's remaining contract, which carries a $6.5 million cap hit. He is signed through the 2025-26 season.
Fowler has no goals and four assists in 17 games this season, returning to the lineup in early December after missing a month with an upper-body injury.
“After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. "As usual, Cam handled the process with professionalism and remained committed to the Ducks. Cam and his family deserve nothing but the best going forward, and we wish them the best of luck.”
Only Ryan Getzlaf has played more games in a Ducks uniform than Fowler, a key component of Anaheim's successful run of five consecutive Pacific Division titles and two Western Conference finals appearances from 2013-17. Fowler has been a fixture on the Ducks' blue line since he was 18 years old, and he famously lived with former Anaheim captain Scott Niedermayer's family when he first broke into the NHL.
But the Ducks haven't made the playoffs since 2018, enduring a six-year drought that doesn't appear to be ending this season. Anaheim (10-14-4) is in last place in the Pacific with a five-game losing streak heading into Saturday's game at Columbus.
Fowler has been a steady contributor throughout his career with the Ducks, but he made just one All-Star team during the 2016-17 season, and his offensive production was sometimes sabotaged by defensive mistakes. He seemed to be the obvious choice to become the Ducks' new captain when Getzlaf retired in 2022, but Verbeek elected to go without a captain for two seasons instead.
“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization,” Verbeek said. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class. His character and contributions on and off the ice have, and will continue to leave, a positive impact on our fans and community."
The Ducks bolstered their blue line last week by acquiring Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in a trade. Anaheim also has promising young defensemen Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger and Jackson LaCombe alongside veterans Brian Dumoulin and captain Radko Gudas.
Fowler is joining a team with playoff aspirations. The Blues are 5-2-1 since Jim Montgomery took over behind the bench. St. Louis has missed the past two postseasons.
The 22-year-old Biakabutuka has played five AHL games for the Blues, who signed him in July 2023. He is the nephew of former NFL running back Tim Biakabutuka.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
From left, Anaheim Ducks right wing Sam Colangelo, defenseman Cam Fowler, and left wing Ross Johnston skate after the team's loss to the Vegas Golden Knights during an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler (4) shoots during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
