The Toronto Maple Leafs have made yet another off-season trade, this time with the Vancouver Canucks. They have acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Canucks in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2028. This trade is another move by general manager Brad Treliving that shows what direction he wants the team to go.
From the jump, he was clear that he wanted to add “more snot” to their game and this off-season, after losing Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, that is what he is targeting. Joshua fits on the team and is nearly perfect. The biggest question now is who is heading out the door. There are still too many forwards and it is widely speculated that Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf are on the trading block. Now, Treliving needs to figure out how to move out bodies and salary cap if he wants to continue making changes to the roster.
Maple Leafs Continue to Add Quality Depth
Maple Leafs Grade: B+
Starting out with the Maple Leafs, they are bringing Joshua back to where he was drafted. That’s right, back in the 5th round of the 2014 NHL Draft, he was drafted by the organization. However, he never played in a game and was traded to the St. Louis Blues before even signing his entry-level contract. He brings a ton of depth to a team that is looking to change their DNA. Last season, he dealt with personal health issues, but once he was healthy he had a decent season. In 57 games, he had seven goals and seven assists for 14 points, as well as 193 hits. That’s what he is known for, he isn’t afraid to throw his weight around. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he reached 245 hits in 2023-24 in just 63 games. His career high in goals, assists and points also came back in that season, when he scored 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points.
Joshua will fit in very well with the rest of the bottom six. He is a center who can also play the left side, which could mean that he will be used on the left wing side of their last line, alongside Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz. It is known based on this past playoff run that head coach Craig Berube likes to have a heavy, hard-working fourth line. Laughton and Lorentz were 2/3 of that line, and replacing Jarnkrok with Joshua is a great depth move. Additionally, he made his NHL debut with Berube in St. Louis, so he is another player that comes to Toronto who is familiar with the coaching system.
Canucks Move Out Salary Cap
Canucks Grade: B
For the Canucks, this deal clears cap space out for not only this year, but two more years afterwards. They are in a unique situation. They are trying their hardest to keep this team together to help convince Quinn Hughes to stay long-term. For them to be able to dump $3.25 million off the books, which brings them under the cap ceiling and allows them to use their $3.27 million in projected cap space elsewhere. The Canucks appear to be hoping that some of their younger players will take a step and make the roster to bring a bit more skill to the lineup. Players like Aatu Raty, Linus Karlsson, and Nils Aman are all projected to make the roster out of training camp. Due to that, it only made sense for Vancouver to shed the $3.25 million from their salary cap.
Related: Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua From Canucks for Draft Pick
As part of the deal, they were able to get a fourth round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. They were able to move the contract out without any type of retention, which is very tidy work by general manager Patrik Alvin. Unfortunately, they just signed Joshua to a four-year deal last off-season and after just one year they moved on. They were able to find him a new home in Toronto, who is a competitive team. He will fit in very well there, but for Canucks fans, it has to be bittersweet seeing him leave the organization.
