Vancouver Canucks Officially Trade Fan-Favourite Dakota Joshua

The reason for the return haul being only a fourth-round pick is that the Canucks will be saving $3.25 million in cap space, as they do not appear to be retaining any salary whatsoever in the deal.

Joshua has been in many trade rumors of late, as the Canucks were looking to free up cap space anyway they could, especially considering Quinn Hughes will need an extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Dakota Joshua was drafted by Toronto and played for Craig Berube in St. Louis

It's somewhat of a homecoming for Dakota Joshua, who Toronto drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

He never signed with the Leafs and had his signing rights traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2019 after he wrapped up his collegiate career with Ohio State.

Joshua worked his way up the Blues system over the next few years, playing 42 games under head coach Craig Berube, whom he will once again be reuniting with.

After establishing himself as a full-time NHLer in the 2021-22 season, he left for Vancouver in free agency by signing a two-year, $1.65M contract.

The 6'3″ Joshua was a high-end fourth-line player for the Canucks out of the gate, but really flourished in the 2023-24 season when the Canucks won the division.

After being moved up to a third-line role, he was a spectacular checking forward with a team-leading 245 hits while also contributing a very solid 32 points in 63 games, which means he would have finished with 42 points had he stayed healthy.