Maple Leafs Among Landing Spots for Ducks $52 Million Defenseman

The Anaheim Ducks are still in the starting phase of their rebuild and they will probably try to move some of their veteran players during the next few weeks and months, including elite defenseman Cam Fowler.

According to The Athletic's Eric Stephens, two teams make the most sense to trade for the defenseman if he is dangled by Anaheim: the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

"Detroit jumps out because Fowler was raised in suburban Farmington Hills and spends summers in the area," Stephens wrote. "Toronto is always trying to get over the hump, is always up against the cap, and seemingly always trying to upgrade its defense."

Stephens also mentioned Dallas and Winnipeg as prospective suitors, although the latter was "a strong defensive team last season" and the former would force Fowler to "accept a reduced role."

With Fowler having two years left on his eight-year, $52 million contract with a cap hit of $6.5 million, both teams could explore potential deals to bring in the 31-year-old defenseman.

This is not pure speculation on Stephens' side, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this month that Fowler and the Ducks are operating in a “positive working environment” when it comes to exploring trade options.

"What I’ve heard is that Fowler has indicated a willingness to talk to more teams (outside of his 28-team no-trade list) and consider more teams than that," Friedman reported on September 6 . "Fowler has a lot of respect around the league. There will be interest."

Fowler’s contract includes a four-team trade list, but Stephens echoed Friedman's report, adding that Fowler has expanded that list to more than 10 teams, making a move easier to facilitate.

"Fowler has expanded the list of teams to double digits, opening up more possibilities for trade discussions," Stephens wrote.

Intriguingly, Stephens adds that while trades of this magnitude are less common just before the season, moving Fowler soon would allow both parties to transition forward.

That means a trade could happen before the end of September, and potentially during the next few days so Fowler can join his new team at training camp and during the preseason portion of the schedule.

Related: Report: Maple Leafs Already in Talks with 'Perfect' Defenseman