![\"Dakota](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/123029888.jpg\" "\\"Ethan")
Ethan Cairns\/Getty Images After a challenging 2024\u201325 campaign marred by health issues and injury setbacks, Dakota Joshua is ready for a fresh start, this time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Traded from the Vancouver Canucks, the 29-year-old is eager to move forward from a season he calls a “setback,” and he\u2019s looking to make a meaningful impact on a team hungry to overcome its playoff struggles.<\/p>\n
Dakota Joshua opens up on cancer diagnosis, injury setbacks, and mental resilience ahead of Maple Leafs debut<\/p>\n
Joshua\u2019s 2024\u201325 season was derailed before it began, as a testicular cancer diagnosis forced him to miss training camp and the opening stretch of the season. After returning to action, a lower-body injury sidelined him once again, ultimately limiting him to just 14 points in 57 games. In a recent interview on Leafs Morning Take, Joshua called the experience mentally and physically draining.\u201cThat was a tough situation to go through,\u201d he said. \u201cTo go through that, especially after signing a new deal, was tough\u2026 It felt like I was playing catch-up the whole season.\u201dDespite the hardship, Joshua said he\u2019s grateful for the support he received and is focused on leaving that chapter behind. \u201cI\u2019m very happy and thankful to be in good health now and once again try to build my career and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dakota Joshua Talks Trade to Toronto, Playing for Berube, & Beating Cancer<\/p>\n
Maple Leafs reunion gives Dakota Joshua fresh opportunity, roster depth, and confidence boost for 2025\u201326 NHL season<\/p>\n
The move to Toronto is also something of a full-circle moment for Joshua. He was originally selected by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft but never played a game for them. His NHL breakthrough came with Vancouver, where he posted a career-best 32 points in 2023\u201324, earning a four-year, $3.25 million AAV contract.Now returning to the team that once drafted him, Joshua is ready to take on a key depth role. \u201cNot just relying so much on the top-end guys\u2026 you need everybody,\u201d he said of Toronto\u2019s playoff ambitions. \u201cI feel like for myself, adding to the depth of the team will help a lot.\u201dJoshua credits his time in Vancouver with helping him find consistency and confidence in his game, saying he now understands what it takes to be an everyday NHL player.Dakota Joshua\u2019s journey back to Toronto is more than just a trade, it\u2019s a chance to reclaim momentum in his career. With renewed health, perspective, and purpose, he now looks to be a difference-maker for a Leafs team eager to end its postseason drought.FAQs:1. Was Dakota Joshua originally drafted by the Maple Leafs?Yes, he was drafted by Toronto in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.2. What happened to Dakota Joshua last season?He was diagnosed with cancer and missed time due to injury.Also Read: Connor McDavid contract update: Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman \u2018encouraged\u2019 by early NHL extension talks with superstar forward<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ethan Cairns\/Getty Images After a challenging 2024\u201325 campaign marred by health issues and injury setbacks, Dakota Joshua is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,32549,7237,575,85,2370,2371],"class_list":["post-35801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cancer-battle","tag-dakota-joshua","tag-nhl","tag-sports","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-vancouver-canucks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}