Leafs’ Dakota Joshua out week-to-week with injury

Unwanted news for an important depth player in The Six.

When speaking to the media on Monday, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka announced that forward Dakota Joshua is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, though multiple reports have labeled Joshua out with a lingering core injury.

Joshua had been questionable for the opening roster for the past week, as it came out that the 30-year-old had been dealing with an unspecified injury. He didn’t appear in any of the Leafs’ four preseason games.

With Joshua out of action, Toronto has used a different combination of players on its fourth line, including new faces such as Teddy Blueger and Zack MacEwen. It’ll be interesting to see who is on the Leafs’ final forward group during their season opener on Tuesday.

A preseason injury isn’t what the Dearborn, Mich. native wanted to hear heading into his fifth season as a full-time NHLer. He hasn’t played anywhere close to a complete season since he appeared in 79 games with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022-23 campaign. Last year, his first since being traded to the Maple Leafs, Joshua battled injury, illness, as well as being a healthy scratch, appearing in just 55 contests. He still managed to score 10 goals and 18 points on a team that finished last in the Atlantic Division.

Joshua is heading into the third season of his four-year contract, which he signed with the Canucks in June 2024. The deal carries a $3.25 million cap hit and a modified no-trade clause that requires the player to submit a 12-team no-trade list.

In 296 regular-season NHL games, Joshua has scored 50 goals and 46 assists for 96 points, with another eight points in 14 postseason contests.