Maple Leafs forward's preseason absence draws waivers speculation

Dakota Joshua was noticeably absent from the Maple Leafs lineup against Montreal on Saturday, sparking rumours he could be a future waiver wire candidate.

Saturday night marks the first game for the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the start of the 2026-27 season. With a lot of expectations and excitement surrounding the team, there's a chance that not only will they get back into postseason contention, but have a much better shot at staying around longer.

It's going to be a split-squad game though, as Toronto's 'A' squad will be at home in front of the Maple Leafs fans, seeing the debut of Gavin McKenna in game action while also being Sergei Bobrovsky's first start in the blue and white. The 'B' squad is headed to Montreal, with the majority of those players being ones who find themselves on the Marlies this fall.

No Dakota Joshua for Toronto leads to questions about his future with the team

But one notable player who was absent from both lineups heading into the first game this preseason was Dakota Joshua. Group 'A' is using a fourth line of Steven Lorentz, Jacob Quillan and Zac MacEwen, meanwhile the 'B' side is going with Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski, and Marc Johnstone.

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There has been no indication of a potential injury with Joshua, and it could simply be a matter of him not having a spot for this game, but is able to suit up in place of Lorentz, or MacEwen against Ottawa.

Joshua, 30, came over last season in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks; costing a fourth-round pick in 2028. His first year with Toronto was decent enough as he registered 18 points in 55 games, but did miss a large chunk of the season after a lacerated kidney suffered against Detroit put him on the shelf.

The addition of Teddy Blueger brought some familiarity to Joshua as the two spent time in Vancouver, but it's questionable if they will get a chance to play together given the circumstances.

Dakota Joshua quickly becomes Toronto's first waiver wire casualty

But if this isn't just a matter of interchanging Joshua with others like Lorentz, or perhaps an unidentified or unannounced injury or illness preventing him from playing then it's very likely he's going to end up going through waivers.

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Toronto needs cap space, and if they want to have a chance to sign Nick Blankenburg after his PTO expires, then getting Max Domi's LTIR relief won't be enough.

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If Joshua clears waivers, that means he is going to be part of the Marlies team, which in turn would end up pushing a younger player out of the lineup for the sake of fielding a veteran. It might be in Toronto's best interest to try and find a suitor in order to open up the appropriate space.

While we shouldn't sound the alarm on Dakota Joshua yet, if things continue like this then it might end up becoming inevitable.

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Toronto Maple Leafs unveil both lineups for split-squad preseason games against the Canadiens