<\/p>\n
Although he was brought in for added toughness and grit last season, Dakota Joshua<\/a> could become the latest trade casualty after Toronto’s offseason spending spree.<\/p>\n Brad Treliving didn’t make too many trades but the ones he did make didn’t exactly come out looking like rainbows.<\/p>\n The Brandon Carlo<\/a> trade was a failure and he’s now gone, Matias Maccelli<\/a> was a reclamation project that never panned out; he’s gone too. The Maple Leafs have essentially wiped out every bit of the Treliving era in their quest towards finally bringing the team a Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The one move he made that could be seen as a net positive was that of Dakota Joshua, who didn’t immediately make an impact, but as the season wore on looked a bit more comfortable. However, a lacerated kidney suffered against Detroit<\/a> derailed his year, and he’ll have to bounce back in 2026-27.<\/p>\n Though, he may not even make it to the opening night lineup.<\/p>\n Toronto added several players capable of stealing Joshua’s spot<\/p>\n Looking at what the Maple Leafs did this offseason,<\/a> you can see that they potentially don’t see Joshua as a stable option in the bottom-six.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Just this offseason they added Nick Paul<\/a>, Teddy Blueger<\/a>, Colton Sissons<\/a>, and Brandon Duhaime<\/a>. Add in Jack Roslovic<\/a> who may be on the third line a bunch, and you’re running out of room. All of them are offering a better defensive game than Joshua (minus Roslovic) while still adding the physicality; plus much, much faster.<\/p>\n Your first two lines are pretty much set with Matthews\/McKenna\/Knies and Cowan\/Tavares\/Nylander so you have a dogfight for the bottom. Paul, Sissons, and Blueger could all feasibly be on a line together but with so much centre potential, one of them is going to the fourth line.<\/p>\n Don’t forget that the team also has Steven Lorentz<\/a> on the fourth line, and several AHL players like Bo Groulx, Luke Haymes<\/a>, Jacob Quillan, and Ryan Tverberg<\/a> also fighting for bottom-six minutes too.<\/p>\n Suddenly you’re looking at a team who has a well-stocked cupboard of defensively-focused players who all have specific roles – PK, hitting, forechecking, agitation – and it’s hard to see Joshua slotting in without weighing the pros and cons.<\/p>\n
If he doesn’t have a spot here, there’s certainly a spot elsewhere for Joshua. He’s not a bad player, just is being pushed out of the lineup and for a contender can still offer great forechecking, aggression, and some secondary scoring.<\/p>\n With Toronto needing help with some additional scoring or even adding one more puck-mover to the blueline, Joshua could be part of a package alongside a pick or a couple of prospects to take on a player. He can still be effective in the bottom-six, and he’s still able to get you something as opposed to a strict cap dump.<\/p>\n Joshua still put up 18 points despite the serious injury, and he has an 18-goal season in his career so if teams wanna use him as a beefy screener in front of a goalie, he could be great at getting rebound chances or become better at deflecting the puck.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n There’s still a lot of talent in Dakota Joshua, but with the Maple Leafs transforming their bottom-six completely and bringing in players not only similar to him but better in several aspects, he could be next on the chopping block.<\/p>\n Should the Maple Leafs trade Dakota Joshua or keep him for their bottom-six?<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoshua could be part of a deal that brings in a piece that the Maple Leafs need<\/p>\n