A former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick reportedly isn't opposed to re-joining the team that selected him in the 2014 NHL Draft.
According to The Athletic's James Mirtle on The Leaf Report, the suggestions that Dakota Joshua wouldn't want to return to the Maple Leafs after the organization traded him to the St. Louis Blues in 2019 are untrue.
Mirtle says the forward, who set new career highs in goals (18) and assists (14) — plus four goals and four assists in the playoffs — with the Vancouver Canucks this season would be intrigued by a reunion with Toronto.
"I’ve heard some people say that Joshua wouldn’t want to be in Toronto because he was a draft pick and he played four years in college and walked. I’m told that’s not true," Mirtle said.
"He would be interested in Toronto. The reason he didn’t sign with Toronto when he was a pick, was he thought it would be hard to break into the forward group at the time, given all the good young forwards they had at the time, and he thought going somewhere else he would get more of an opportunity in the NHL faster. That’s why he made that choice."
The Canucks and Joshua, who can enter free agency on July 1, aren't "close" on a contract, per Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie & Dhali.
Joshua played 42 games for the St. Louis Blues, from 2021-2022, under now-Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube. There's a possibility that one, or both, of Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi could hit the open market. If that happens, Joshua could be a target for Toronto.
Connor Dewar, Nick Robertson, and Noah Gregor — each restricted free agents — are the only other forwards who need a new contract for next season with the Maple Leafs.
