The Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs certainly threw a wrench into a slow summer news day last week with a surprise trade of Dakota Joshua back to the team that originally drafted him.

Joshua was shipped out last Thursday after three seasons and 199 games with the Canucks, with his 18-goal season in 2023-24 the peak of his five-year NHL career thus far. But after expecting to come into last year at peak form, Joshua had a major health scare when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

He missed just 14 games and reports that there’s no lingering effects after a surgery last fall, but admits that the whole process played a major role in his regression to just seven goals and seven assists last season throughout 57 contests with the Canucks.

“Just starting from behind… I couldn’t really get my game to where I wanted it to be until towards the end of the year,” he said Tuesday, as per the Toronto Star‘s Dave Feschuk. “A frustrating year, for sure. But I’m happy to put it behind me and get a fresh start here.”

Joshua also confirmed that he’d be sticking with No. 81, a number last worn in Toronto regularly by fellow cancer survivor Phil Kessel.

While Joshua was picked by the Leafs in 2014, he never suited up for them.

Joshua’s NHL debut came under current Leafs coach Craig Berube, having played two seasons for the St. Louis Blues before signing as a free agent in Vancouver in 2022.

“[Berube and former Canucks coach Rick Tocchet] like a hard-working, north-south game, which is my type of game. And so, [Tocchet] was also a tremendous help in letting my career take off after getting started with [Berube],” Joshua said.

“[Berube], he’s very professional and he’s a straight shooter. He lets you know where you stand and wants you to go out there and get the job done. He expects a lot out of his players, which I like. He was a tremendous help in getting my career started and evolving into the player I am today.”

Looking to play in the playoffs for the third time in his career, Joshua kept his personal goals simple for the season ahead.