Canucks: Dakota Joshua traded to Toronto Maple Leafs for draft pick

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Playing catch-up and gaining traction were mental and physical challenges for Dakota Joshua this past NHL season.

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The hulking Vancouver Canucks left winger was diagnosed with testicular cancer last summer, missed crucial offseason training and camp, and also the first 14 games. He didn’t suit up until Nov. 14. On Thursday, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft. The additional pick provides Vancouver with eight selections in that draft.

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Joshua, 29, amassed just 14 points (7-7) in 57 games last season. It was a far cry from a career-high 32 points (18-14) in 63 games in the 2023-24 campaign, in which he led the Canucks in hits with 244, and 74 more in the playoffs, where he had eight points (8-8) in 13 games. He was a big hit on a productive alignment with Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland, a line often dubbed “Meat and Potatoes”.

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Joshua was the meat, Blueger the potatoes, and Garland the gravy.

Joshua, a Dearborn, Mich. native, was then rewarded with a four-year, $13-million US extension. The Canucks save $3.25 million in salary cap space, and in their ongoing search for a supportive centre, they have more room to take on a bigger salary. Joshua’s name had also popped up in rumours that he might be in play to acquire a pivot.

“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,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. “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 originally selected by the Leafs in the fifth round, 128th overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft. He played parts of two seasons for the St. Louis Blues, before signing with the Canucks as an unrestricted free agent on July 13, 2022. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound forward accumulated 69 points (36-33-69) and 158 penalty minutes in 199 games with Vancouver.

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Joshua was the Vancouver chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association’s 2025 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

In April, after the disappointing season, he said: “It’s not a season I want to remember. It’s obviously an honour to be nominated for the award, but I wish I could have put forth something better. It means a lot just to be able to play and continue on the dream of playing in the NHL.”

So, now Leaf fans will get to admire his grit and sportsmanship. A few weeks after the Canucks’ playoff hopes died this spring, he said, “I’m sorry this season hasn’t gone better. This award, it’s an honour.”

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