The Toronto Maple Leafs made a trade to acquire bottom-six forward Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks.
The Maple Leafs acquired Joshua on July 17 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. It was a low-risk move for the Maple Leafs, but one that could pay massive dividends.
Joshua has three years left on his four-year, $13 million deal. Although $3.25 million per season is likely a tad more than many would be comfortable paying, due to his injury history, with the cap going up, it’s more than affordable. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have plenty of cap space after seeing Mitch Marner leave in the offseason.
Joshua projects to be on Toronto’s third line playing alongside Nic Roy and Scott Laughton, which would be a physical and shutdown line. Not only does Joshua play great defense, but he can also add some secondary scoring.
The 6-foot-3 forward recorded 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points in 57 games. He should be good for around 15 goals and 15 assists, which is good value out of the bottom-six.
Joshua would also be a locker room favorite, as he was beloved by Canucks teammates. Which is a bonus for Toronto.
In return, the Canucks got a fourth-round pick, which isn’t a ton of return for Joshua, especially with the pick not conveying until 2028. Yet, Vancouver had to clear cap space, and getting off Joshua’s contract without retaining any money is a positive.
Overall, this is a great trade for the Maple Leafs and a decent one for the Canucks.
Maple Leafs Grade: A
Canucks Grade: B-
Canucks GM Thanks Joshua
After Vancouver dealt Joshua to the Maple Leafs, Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin sent out a statement thanking the forward for his time.
Joshua missed the start of the season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer over the summer. After making the trade, Allvin thanked Joshua and wished him well with the Maple Leafs.
“Dakota went through a lot last season before the year even started and we were very impressed in how he handled such a difficult off-ice situation,” Allvin said. “Once healthy, he tried hard to help the team in many ways, and we want to wish him the best moving forward in Toronto.”
Joshua was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft. However, he never signed with Toronto, and his rights were traded to the St. Louis Blues. Joshua played under now Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube while he was in Toronto.
Maple Leafs Have Had an Active Offseason
The Maple Leafs have been one of the more active teams in the NHL this offseason, in terms of trades.
Toronto kicked off the offseason by trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade.
Toronto also traded for Mattias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth and dealt Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks for Henry Thrun.
Despite all the moves, the Maple Leafs still have been linked to trading Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf. So, Toronto general manager Brad Treliving likely isn’t done making moves.
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