After a disappointing 2025-26 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded a few players this summer. Among the names who the Maple Leafs have moved this offseason are Joseph Woll, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, Nick Robertson, and Dennis Hildeby.
Yet, when looking at the Maple Leafs' current roster, it is fair to wonder if they could move out another player before the start of the season to free up cap space.
While Morgan Rielly was the subject of trade speculation during the early stages of the offseason, those rumors have cooled down significantly since. Because of this, a trade centering around the left-shot defenseman happening before the start of the season seems unlikely now.
However, the Maple Leafs have a forward who stands out as a player who has the potential to be traded before the season gets underway: Dakota Joshua.
With the Maple Leafs having limited cap space, it would be understandable if they moved on from Joshua. This is especially so when noting that the Maple Leafs have brought in multiple new forwards this offseason, like Nick Paul, Brandon Duhaime, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, and Zack MacEwen.
With all the forwards the Maple Leafs added this offseason, it is fair to wonder if Joshua could be made expendable. Moving out his $3.25 million cap hit would give the Maple Leafs more money to improve their roster elsewhere. This could be worth some real consideration for Toronto, and this is especially with the Maple Leafs having multiple bottom-six forwards who provide the same kind of offense as Joshua.
Maple Leafs' Joshua could generate some trade interest around the league
NHL teams are always on the hunt for big forwards, so Joshua has the potential to generate trade interest as the offseason rolls on. The 6-foot-3 forward could be a good addition for a club that is looking for grit in their bottom six.
While the Maple Leafs would likely not get the biggest of returns for Joshua, it is possible that they could get a mid-round pick for the Dearborn, Michigan native. He also could be used in a trade package to land an upgrade to Toronto's roster elsewhere. Because of this, it could be smart for Toronto to listen to offers for the six-year NHL veteran forward.
In 55 games last season with the Maple Leafs, Joshua posted 10 goals, 18 points, 49 penalty minutes, and 195 hits. This was after he posted seven goals and 14 points in 57 games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024-25.
While Joshua's offense over the last two seasons has been low, he also set career highs with 18 goals, 14 assists, and 32 points in 63 games just back in 2023-24 with Vancouver. With that, there could be some teams willing to take a chance on him as a bounce-back candidate.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the Maple Leafs decide to do with Joshua this offseason from here.
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