Photo credit: Dan Hamilton – Imagn Images
Maple Leafs hoping Dakota Joshua’s one game exile to the press box was all that was required to get his game back on track ahead of their Black Friday contest.
With Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies healthy, the Toronto Maple Leafs had some difficult decisions to make in regards to who would come out of their lineup. Head coach Craig Berube decided to sit newcomers Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli, and it worked out, with the Leafs securing a 2-1 overtime win.
With Easton Cowan and Nicholas Robertson playing so well in recent weeks, the decision to sit them wasn’t all too difficult. However, it was still notable considering that Joshua and Maccelli were two of the Leafs’ big off-season acquisitions.
Nevertheless, it does seem like Joshua’s stay in the press box is going to be short-lived, as Berube confirmed earlier today that he will be making his return to the lineup ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Washington Capitals tomorrow.
Berube didn’t mention who would be coming out of the lineup, but this morning’s practice brought about a couple of interesting looks. Maccelli looks to be a healthy scratch again, but Max Domi was taking William Nylander’s spot on the second line with the latter having a maintenance day, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold tomorrow.
The 29-year-old Joshua has struggled to the tune of 2 goals and 5 points in 22 games thus far across 12:21 ATOI.
Aside from scoring goals in back to back games against Buffalo on the 24th and 25th of October, Joshua has delivered goose eggs throughout the season. He has also registered just 2 assists over his last 13 games. He has added 39 hits to give him some value moving forward.
The Maple Leafs aren’t expecting Joshua to score 30 goals, but a return to his 2023-24 form when he scored 18 goals and delivered 245 hits would go a long way for a team desperate for production and points in the standings.
Perhaps all he needed was a mental reset to get him into the right mindset and motivated to produce and stay in the lineup.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily