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Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua From Canucks

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 5:09 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday they have acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft.

TRADE: We’ve acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft pic.twitter.com/HutDzsKmuh
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 17, 2025

Joshua, 29, tallied 14 points in 57 games for the Canucks during the 2024-25 season. The Michigan native has 78 points in 241 career NHL games with Vancouver and St. Louis, plus 8 points in 14 playoff appearances.

He has a $3.25 million cap hit for the next three seasons. It brings the Maple Leafs down to just over $2 million in remaining cap space.

Early reaction is that this is a solid pickup for the bottom six and a strong fit for head coach Craig Berube’s system. Joshua missed significant time last season following a cancer diagnosis and understandably struggled a bit after returning.

This is a bit of a buy-low move—affordable contract, and a player who fits exactly what the Leafs are looking for.

There was a sense the Canucks might make a move to offload some salary. After several key re-signings and trading for Evander Kane, the Canucks added significant salary and kept a good chunk of its previous roster. Joshua was among the names rumored to be on the trade block.

More to come…

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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