Maple Leafs Get Bad News About Dakota Joshua

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into what they hope will be a 2026-27 season of redemption. After a brutal 2025-26 season that saw them miss the playoffs, they need a fresh start. However, they may already be a man down before the opening-night puck drop.

Whenever Dakota Joshua starts to build any kind of momentum, he ends up injured. New Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller addressed reporters on Monday and delivered some unfortunate news about the 30-year-old winger. Joshua is dealing with an unspecified injury, and Hiller offered zero clarity on whether Joshua would be available for Opening Night against the Montreal Canadiens on September 29th.

Making matters even more curious, Joshua was spotted skating in a group of Toronto Marlies players rather than his NHL teammates. Speculation and rumors are spreading about the severity of the situation.

Maple Leafs Forward Can’t Catch a Break

Over the past few seasons, Joshua has endured a horrible stretch of bad luck and health-related setbacks. He missed significant time during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons for various reasons. These ranged from lower-body injuries to a diagnosis of testicular cancer that required surgery.

Last season in Toronto, he suffered a lacerated kidney in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. An injury that kept him sidelined for roughly two months. Then, when it seemed like he was back on track, he suffered an upper-body injury a week before the end of the season.

When Joshua is healthy and able to stay in the lineup, he has shown he belongs. He led the Maple Leafs with 195 hits last season. A trend that saw him top the Vancouver Canucks in that category for three straight years. He also carries a career shooting percentage of 16.7%, which helps him consistently flirt with double-digit goal totals.

In 55 games last year, he registered 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points. The talent and the physicality are evident. He just needs to stay healthy long enough to showcase it.

Toronto’s Roster Shuffle

Joshua was penciled in on Toronto’s fourth line at left wing alongside center Teddy Blueger and right winger Brandon Duhaime heading into training camp. If he starts the season on IR, it opens the door for a handful of players to earn that roster spot.

Steven Lorentz is considered the frontrunner given his 18 points in 71 games last season and his NHL experience (381 games). Other players looking to claim the spot include Zack MacEwen, Jacob Quillan, Brendan Brisson, and Bo Groulx.

There’s also the salary cap to think about. Joshua carries a $3.25 million cap hit, and the Leafs are operating tight against the cap ceiling. If Joshua’s injury is more serious and he ends up on LTIR, his entire cap hit comes off the books temporarily.

New GM John Chayka spent much of free agency loading up the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. He brought in Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Blueger, and Duhaime, so the roster is well-stocked even without Joshua. It will be interesting to see what the opening night roster looks like next Tuesday.