Dakota Joshua Skates With Marlies: Why Trade Rumors Are Heating Up
Dakota Joshua’s status for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ opening night has begun to shift from questionable to highly unlikely. Today, head coach Jim Hiller confirmed that Joshua is dealing with a lingering issue which is preventing him from getting himself up to full speed. Which is a red flag of its own, but the bigger red flag? At training camp Joshua has been skating with the group of TorontoMarlies, while Bo Groulx has moved up into the role of the 13th forward on the main roster.
While the team continues to operate with the injury narrative as their official statement, this development aligns perfectly with whispers from this offseason. After the Leafs completely revamped their bottom six, I had heard rumor this summer that the Maple Leafs were actively shopping Joshua, looking to clear his cap space while reconfigure the bottom six and creating cap flexibility. Now, with camp in full swing, the structural realities of Toronto's roster are now forcing John Chayka into a corner.
The Dakota Joshua situation is an interesting one, I was told the Maple Leafs spoke to teams about moving him this summer but nothing came together at the time. Can't imagine the Leafs want to carry his dead salary if he's in the AHL.
— Jay on Leafs (@JayOnLeafs) September 21, 2026
The $3.25M Cap Hit Dilemma
Joshua is currently locked in at a $3.25 million cap hit through the end of next season. If the Maple Leafs simply waive him and send him down, they do not get full cap relief. Under current NHL rules, the team will receive only a portion of a buried contract in relief. That means even if Joshua is riding the bus with the Marlies, Toronto will still be carrying $2.025 million in dead cap space on the NHL roster.
For a team pressed against the ceiling, eating over $2 million for a minor-league player is terrible business.
The 50-Contract Limit Factor
The financial penalty of waivers is bad enough, but the lack of organizational flexibility it creates is arguably worse. The Maple Leafs are currently sitting at the maximum 50-out-of-50 NHL contracts, meaning the team has no room for error.
Waiving Joshua and sending him down does not remove his contract from the 50-man limit. He remains on the books. If Chayka wants to claim a player off waivers from another team, sign a late free agent, or execute a complex multi-player trade, his hands are tied.
A trade, however, solves both problems instantly. Moving Joshua completely removes his $3.25 million cap hit and frees up one of those precious 50 contract slots, giving management the flexibility they desperately need as the season begins