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CanucksArmy explains what Leafs fans can expect from Dakota Joshua
Photo credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
Jul 18, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 18, 2025, 11:49 EDT
Dakota Joshua is the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs after being acquired Thursday from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua recorded seven goals and 14 points in 57 games last season. He is two years removed from the best season of his career, where Joshua posted 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games.
It appears that the Maple Leafs are betting that Joshua’s 2023-24 campaign is the truer measure of his overall player profile. What can Maple Leafs fans expect from Joshua entering the 2025-26 campaign?
We asked our friend Tyson Cole from CanucksArmy to provide us with some detail on Joshua’s game, and he delivered a great scouting report on his usage with the Canucks, along with how/where he will fit into the Leafs’ lineup going forward. Here’s what Cole wrote to us:
After his breakout campaign, Dakota Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the 2024 offseason. He underwent successful surgery, but the recovery process hindered much of his summer training and ultimately kept him out for the first half of the 2024-2025 season – and you could tell.
Joshua did not look like himself to start the year. While he’s not known as a burner, his speed declined. He also looked a little cautious to throw his 6-foot-3 body around, as he had the previous season. He went in and out of his regular groove for most of the season, before finding the comfortability to play his typical brand of hockey.
Leafs can expect a hard-hitting winger who uses his big frame along the walls to win puck battles. He excels with his forechecking and cycle game in the offensive zone. One area where he was under-utilized in Vancouver was the net front. He showed some crafty hands in tight on multiple occasions, but never seemed to earn that role.
However, don’t expect a play driver. You’ll need to pair him alongside a skilled playmaker (Matias Maccelli?) who can get him the puck in down low to succeed offensively. Could he replicate his career-high 18-goal season? In the right situation, maybe, but that goal-scoring success was backed by his unprecedented 21.4 shooting percentage.
In Joshua’s short time in Vancouver, he became a fan favourite. One that Leafs fans will enjoy watching night in and night out, whether he’s lighting the lamp from in front, or crushing opponents into the boards.
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