Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving’s work this offseason is far from over. Whether or not he’ll be able to find a trading partner to address the specific need he’s going for, which is a top-six forward, is up in the air. There have been reports recently of the team showing interest in UFA forward Jack Roslovic, who could be a pivot option if the Leafs don’t end up finding that elusive trade partner.
One name that’s been familiar to the Leafs over the years is Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua. He was originally selected by the Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Draft, but the team traded his rights to the St. Louis Blues ahead of the 2019-20 season. He got his first crack in the NHL with the Blues before signing with the Canucks prior to the 2022-23 season. He broke into the league after that, with his true breakout season coming in 2023-24. He scored 18 goals and contributed 32 points in 63 games before turning it up a notch in the playoffs with four goals and eight points in 13 games.
The Canucks took a significant step back in 2024-25 but bear the confidence in themselves to return in 2025-26 with similar vibes to the team that pushed the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 in 2023-24. Part of this includes opening the floor to some younger players looking to make their mark, and if that happens, they may be forced to move some bodies around. On a recent edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman speculated that Joshua could be among the names considered.
“Right now, if you did that depth chart, you wouldn’t have [Arshdeep] Bains in it…someone said to me don’t count out more moves and Bains getting a better shot at making that roster. There’s been reports about Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua, I don’t think the Canucks are done tinkering with this yet. Someone said to me the Canucks think Bains is ready to challenge for a spot too, and if they have to clear spots and he has a chance to play, they won’t be afraid of that.” -Elliotte Friedman
Joshua, 29, has three years remaining at just over $3 million annually. On one hand, you can make the argument that the Leafs should be using that cap space to trade for an impact top-six forward rather than using it on a bottom-six player. On the other hand, you can look at his production from two years ago, both in the regular season and the playoffs, and decide for yourself whether you think it’s a worthy gamble to make. If Joshua can prove to be a regular 15-goal, 30-point player who provides physicality and solid defensive instincts, it’s hard to say that’s not something the Leafs could use.
The gamble here is whether that 2023-24 season is what can be expected of him on the regular. Joshua only had seven goals and 14 points in 57 games last season, so committing over $3 million a year to somebody with that level of production let alone moving assets for them on top of that may raise some apprehension. That being said, you can’t mention his dip in production without acknowledging that he missed training camp and the start of the 2024-25 season due to surgery after a diagnosis with testicular cancer. Missing camp alone will hurt your production, let alone with a real-life health issue like cancer making things harder. That said, he’s free of it now and could be eyeing a bounce back season in 2024-25.
If the Leafs were to swing a deal for Joshua, pairing him on a line with Nicolas Roy and somebody like Nick Robertson or Matias Maccelli could give them a legitimate matchup line with some scoring touch. He would also bring the physicality that the Leafs desire, finishing seventh in the league among forwards in hits in 2023-24, and he played two seasons under Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube when the two were in St. Louis.
If this report from Friedman carries any weight, there’s a potential opportunity to acquire Joshua for cheap, and if he’s able to get his game back to where it was in 2023-24, the Leafs would be extremely happy to pay him for the remainder of his deal. That said, they have an abundance of forwards themselves, so it may need to wait until after the Leafs execute on that. Either way, it’s a situation worth exploring as both teams look to put their best foot forward in 2025-26.
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