Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving made another move last week, adding former Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua for their 2028 4th-round pick.
Joshua, 29, is signed for three more years at $3.25 million. The forward projects to produce 15+ goals and 30+ points, which is solid for his salary.
But if he can produce like he did back in 2023-24, where he scored 18 times and had 32 points in just 63 games, which pro-rates to about 22 goals and 41 points over a full 82-game schedule.
If Joshua can find that production for the Leafs, he'll help fill a key role next season.
As it's been for a number of years, the Leafs have had a problem with depth scoring, especially come playoff time. Dakota Joshua should help turn this weakness into a strength, especially considering his playoff history.
In the 2024 playoffs, Joshua was a monster for the Canucks, scoring 4 goals and 8 points in 13 games.
These totals would've ranked him tied for 4th on the Leafs in playoff goals, and tied for 4th in playoff points this season. These ranks would've had him with more goals than Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, and more points than John Tavares and Matthew Knies in the 2025 playoffs.
Now to be fair, there's a small chance Joshua puts up these type of playoff numbers again, but any extra scoring will help the Leafs. We just saw the Florida Panthers win a Stanley Cup with depth scoring as one of their big strengths, and the Leafs hope to pull off something similar.
However, while the recent additions of Joshua, Nicolas Roy, and Matias Maccelli will help improve depth scoring, the Leafs are still missing another true top-6 forward up front.
As good as Joshua is, it is unlikely he slides into a top-6 role, and while the Leafs could fill that role internally, there's no guarantee that Max Domi, Bobby McMann, or someone else takes that next step.
In short, I do like the addition of Dakota Joshua, he makes the team better and should help our playoff scoring woes. But in the long run, should have Brad Treliving taken a run at a top-6 forward instead of moving more assets for depth?
Only time will tell.