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It seemed odd for the Blues, a retooling team with a surplus of well-paid defensemen in their 30s.

It also seemed curious for the Ducks, a rebuilding team that had acquired veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba just a week earlier.

The move still looks strange for the Ducks in March, but it looks better all the time for the Blues.

Fowler has helped the Blues overcome the loss of cornerstone defenseman Colton Parayko, who was enjoying his best season in the NHL. This team climbed back into the Western Conference playoff chase without him logging their toughest minutes.

Fowler has had a big role in that success while scoring seven goals, earning 17 assists and posting a plus-8 rating in his first 37 games in St. Louis.

“He’s been excellent,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He’s just calm, cool and poised. Cam’s been really good for us.

“He’s very confident. He exudes that confidence and gives our team confidence that we can win in different fashions because he’s always generating play.�

Many factors propelled the Blues back into the chase. The 4 Nations break allowed them to gain a mental and physical reset and return with renewed energy. Montgomery’s messaging began taking hold when the team reconvened for the stretch run.

Goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer elevated their play, Defenseman Justin Faulk improved his performance as well. Defenseman Nick Leddy reclaimed a top four role after finally overcoming his persistent injury.

The top two forward lines began clicking. Pavel Buchnevich finally got back on track with Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours while Jordan Kyrou found chemistry with Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn.

Zack Bolduc asserted himself after his brief return to the AHL. Mathieu Joseph finally found his stride in a third-line role. Radek Faksa’s hit squad with Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker chipped in some offense.

Meanwhile Fowler kept playing at the same high level he brought since arriving from Anaheim.

Back when Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made the trade, he still saw his team as playoff-caliber despite its inability to break the gravitational pull of .500.

At that time, he didn’t know if Leddy would make it back from injury. He wanted to keep the Blues competitive while rebuilding so the younger players would develop in the right atmosphere.

That goal is why he jumped at the chance to hire Montgomery when he became available. When Anaheim made Fowler available, he jumped at that opportunity too — spending a second-round pick and fringe defensive prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka while getting a fourth-round pick back in the swap.

The Blues have Fowler under contract through next season with a manageable $4 million salary cap hit, since Anaheim graciously retained nearly $2.5 million in annual salary.

Given those terms, one of the NHL’s elite teams should have jumped at this trade opportunity. Far lesser defensemen ended up moving to contenders ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

And in retrospect, it’s fair to wonder if the Ducks would have been better off keeping Fowler instead of acquiring Trouba and his $8 million salary cap hit.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek wanted more physicality on his blue line. We get it. He played rugged style himself back in the day while earning the nickname “Little Ball of Hate.�

In his prime, Trouba was one of the NHL’s top defensive defensemen. He channeled his inner Scott Stevens while delivering bruising hits.

“Jacob is a highly respected player in this league whose character and leadership qualities on and off the ice are second to none,� Verbeek gushed. “We believe Jacob has many more years in this league and hope he is a big part of our future success. It’s rare you are able to acquire a player with Jacob’s experience, stature and ability. On the ice he competes every shift, leads by example and is a presence on the blue line every night.�

But Trouba is well past his prime. The New York Rangers had been looking to dump him for some time. The Ducks already had bone-cruncher Radko Gudas on the blue line.

After adding Trouba, Verbeek felt compelled to offload Fowler — a skilled player and well-liked teammate who had been with the team since 2010.

Fast forward to Sunday. Fowler defended well, moved the puck up ice and generated opportunities in the offensive zone as the Blues rolled to a 7-2 victory over the not-so-mighty Ducks.

Trouba delivered a cheap shot on Kyrou’s head, prompting Schenn to fight him. That episode helped inspire the Blues to stay after Anaheim in a decidedly one-sided game.

The Ducks have some outstanding young players. Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier could be stars some day. But they remain stuck in a rebuild that has reached Year 7 without much progress.

The Blues don’t want to go that long without returning to the playoffs. And they could get there this season with the considerable help Fowler provides.