The actual Toronto Maple Leafs season hasn't even started yet and we're already trying to figure out some mysteries. Luckily, Leafs general manager John Chayka finally gave us some key information that uncovered the truth.
Dakota Joshua has been eeriely absent from some key Leafs practices during training camp the past week. The 30-year-old forward was regularly spending time with the Marlies group, away from his NHL teammates, and even with Toronto needing a total of 36 skaters during their series of split-squad games against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday, he did not take part in either group.
There was a little bit of a cloud over what is really going on and it got people to speculate. Is he just really out of shape coming into training camp and the Leafs are trying to hide it? Is there something else going on? Is it even related to an injury?
Thankfully, Chayka cleared it up on Wednesday morning.
Dakota Joshua is just dealing with an ongoing injury
Well, it turns out that Joshua is really just injured and has been dealing with an ongoing issue for a while now, and that's why he has not really participated in anything meaningful during Leafs training camp.
Dakota Joshua is dealing with a core injury. Has been for some time, per Chayka. Day to day.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) September 23, 2026
Well, that clears that up. Even if the Leafs want to call this injury day to day, it's tricky to really accept that any day now we can just see Joshua take part in line rushes and be a part of the team as the season opens.
His spot on the team is already up in the air.
Joshua's role on the Leafs is in question
Chayka brought in a whole new bottom-six forward group for head coach Jim Hiller to work with during the offseason and because of that, Joshua could get pushed out if he doesn't play well enough. The physical winger did manage to score 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games last season while averaging just 12:15 time-on-ice, but with the additions of Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons, and specifically Brandon Duhaime, he might need to show something so much more than that to get back to his fourth-line role on this team.
He could just simply be in a rotation for a spot when healthy -- and we don't even know when that will be. We can't envision a world where he gets sent down to the Marlies on waivers, given he's under contract for two more seasons at a sizeable $3.75-million AAV for a depth forward. He will just need to make sure he's playing better than someone like Duhaime or Steven Lorentz, to get back some regular minutes.
As the Leafs roster starts to take shape, they will have their final two preseason games on Wednesday night in split-squad action against the Ottawa Senators.
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