Maple Leafs' Dakota Joshua Faces Possible Waiver Placement Amid Injury
Yahoo Sports
The short version
- Dakota Joshua is out with an undisclosed injury and did not play this past weekend.
- Head coach Jim Hiller did not confirm Joshua's status for the September 29 opener against Montreal.
- Joshua carries a $3.25 million cap hit and played previously for the Vancouver Canucks.
- Toronto could place him on IR, LTIR, or waivers, with a waiver assignment to the Marlies easing roster pressure.
An undisclosed injury has put the Toronto depth forward's availability for opening night in question and could push him to waivers.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua did not play over the past weekend because of an undisclosed injury. Head coach Jim Hiller did not say whether Joshua will be ready for the season opener against Montreal on September 29.
Joshua, 30, joined the Maple Leafs after previously playing for the Vancouver Canucks. He carries a $3.25 million cap hit and projects as a bottom-six forward, where Toronto has considerable depth and roster decisions to make before the season begins.
If Joshua is not ready, Toronto's options include placing him on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, or exposing him to waivers and assigning him to the AHL's Toronto Marlies. A waiver assignment would ease a roster logjam and give him time to recover without rushing back.
A waiver placement carries risk for the player, as another team could claim him. For Toronto, a claim would remove Joshua's contract from the books and relieve both roster and salary cap pressure.
Joshua's status remains uncertain unless he returns to preseason action in the coming days.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
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