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Maple Leafs Complete Unexpected Trade for Middle-Six Forward

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 7:09 AM ET

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

No reports were linking Joshua to Toronto ahead of the deal, making the trade one of the offseason's true surprises, albeit not one involving a bona fide superstar.

Joshua, 29, is entering the third season of a four-year, $13 million deal and carries a $3.25 million cap hit. The Canucks , looking to create salary cap flexibility, sent the winger to Toronto and now have over $3.2 million in cap space. The Leafs, on the other hand, dropped to over $2.9 million in current cap space.

The forward had a tough 2023–24 campaign, as he was limited to just 14 points in 57 regular-season games after returning mid-November from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.

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

“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,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. “We want to wish him the best moving forward in Toronto.”

Joshua joins a retooled Leafs forward group that includes Nicolas Roy, acquired in the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade, and could challenge for a spot on the left wing between the second and third lines.

While not a top point-producer, Joshua offers size, forechecking, and versatility—he can also be used as a center—and arrives in Toronto with a skill set that should fit well under head coach Craig Berube, who already coached Joshua at the St. Louis Blues.

Though Joshua's production dropped last year, Joshua posted 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games during the 2023–24 season and reached 23 points the year before.

Toronto now has 14 forwards under contract in its active NHL roster, with Nick Robertson’s arbitration hearing looming and potentially making it 15 players within the forward corps.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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