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How does the saying go? Find someone who loves you as much as Patrik Allvin loves bringing in fourth-round draft picks?

The Vancouver Canucks general manager has once again traded a fan favourite player for a return that hinges on a fourth-round pick. After dealing Calder Cup-winning goaltender Arturs Silovs less than a week ago to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick, the team sent another loved player in forward Dakota Joshua to the not-so-loved Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2028 fourth-round pick. 

It must be said that Allvin’s hand was a tad limited in dealing Joshua, just as it was with Silovs, albeit for different reasons. While the team risked losing Silovs on waivers for nothing, Joshua’s stock took a hit after last year. 

Originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, the Michigan-born forward was signed by the Canucks in the summer of 2022 after a stint with the St. Louis Blues saw him mostly play in the AHL. Joshua became a fixture on the Canucks right away, scoring 23 points in 79 games while bringing some toughness to the team’s bottom six. 

The next year, though, was a revelation. A rising tide lifts all boats and the 2023-24 Canucks were quite a tide. Joshua scored 32 points in 63 games and added eight points in 13 playoff games, mostly as part of one of the best third lines in the league with Elias Lindholm and Conor Garland. 

Most of us haven’t forgotten this:

Video of Elias Lindholm Completes Canucks’ Incredible Comeback With Overtime Winner

In the summer of ‘24, Joshua signed a four-year deal with an annual cap hit of $3.25 million. It seemed fair for a valuable and dependable third-line forward, which is what Joshua had shown himself to be. But last year was a different story for the Canucks and for Joshua in particular. 

A couple months after signing that contract, Joshua released a statement through the Canucks that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and had successful surgery to remove the tumour. Joshua made his season debut in November and also missed a chunk of games in January due to a leg injury. Like many of his teammates, Joshua wasn’t quite as effective last year, scoring 14 points in 57 games and seeing his average ice time dip under 13 minutes a game.

His cap hit, thought to be something of a bargain, especially with the league’s cap increasing over the next few years, quickly turned into something of a net negative, at least in the eyes of Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who found themselves up against the ceiling of the cap and needing some top-six talent in the worst way. 

The truth of the matter is that after the Canucks signed Evander Kane to bring some toughness and goalscoring into the forward group, the management team may have found that Joshua was a tad redundant. After all, the Calder Cup-winning Abbotsford Canucks featured more than a few players champing at the bit to become third- and fourth-liners on the big club. Whether they actually can fill those roles is a bigger question. But the Canucks will likely get someone to do it at a third or less of the price than what Joshua was costing. 

The danger here is whether Joshua can get back to his 23-24 form with the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the Leafs, this makes a lot of sense. A relatively cheap player who can mix it up in the bottom six and add some toughness. Come playoff time, this Leafs team clearly wants to be tougher and win the battles along the wall. A healthy Joshua will help them do that. It’s a nice pickup for Toronto. 

Grade: C

Really this grade will hinge on what the Canucks do with the cap space afforded by trading Joshua. Since that’s nothing yet, it’s hard to judge. On its face, trading away a fan favourite player coming off an injury and illness plagued season for a fourth-round pick three years from now is not very ideal. 

If the Canucks, as rumoured, bring in some top-six talent using that space, then we’re happy to revise this grade. (Do the rumours of Jack Roslovic coming in soothe those concerns? Not really, but he might be a player worth gambling a little bit on.

We’ll see what happens but it’s a bit underwhelming at this point.