Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Making season debut versus Isles
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Joshua (cancer) will make his 2024-25 season debut against the Islanders on Thursday, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.
Joshua looks set to take on a fourth-line role but could work his way up the lineup as he gets back to full speed. Given his lengthy stint on the sidelines, the winger will likely need some time to readjust but could still challenge for the 30-point mark after hitting that threshold for the first time last year.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Not ready to return
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Joshua (groin) won't play Thursday versus LA, per Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet.
Joshua also didn't practice Wednesday, but coach Rick Tocchet said the 28-year-old hasn't suffered a setback. Instead, the Canucks are simply being cautious with Joshua, who hasn't played in 2024-25. It remains to be seen when Joshua might return to the lineup, but when he is ready, he'll likely serve in a bottom-six role.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Returns to practice
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Joshua (groin) practiced in a non-contact jersey Saturday, Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet reports.
While Joshua is still a ways off from game action, it's an incredibly positive sign to see the winger practicing after he underwent surgery for testicular cancer in the offseason. Joshua logged 18 goals and 32 points, both career highs, in 63 games during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Traveling with team
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Joshua (groin) will join the Canucks on their upcoming four-game road trip and could start skating during that time, Farhan Lalji of TSN reports Tuesday.
While Joshua's return to the ice will certainly be a significant step in the right direction, he will likely have several more hurdles to clear, including absorbing contact in practice. Once the winger is ready to play, he should be in contention for a second-line role, though Daniel Sprong and Conor Garland will likely also have something to say about that.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Placed on injured non-roster
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Joshua (testicular cancer) was placed on the injured non-roster list Monday.
Joshua recently resumed skating, but he's still considered to be several weeks away from returning to game action. He underwent surgery for testicular cancer in September and will officially be forced to miss the first few weeks of the regular season. He made 63 appearances for the Canucks last year and logged 18 goals, 32 points and 245 hits while averaging 14:23 of ice time.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Resumes skating
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Joshua (testicular cancer) has resumed skating and is likely a few weeks away from returning, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports Monday.
Joshua underwent surgery for testicular cancer in September, and the Canucks have been hopeful that he'll be able to return to action this season. It's encouraging that he's been back on the ice recently, but he'll likely need to ramp up before he's in the mix to return to game action. The 28-year-old made 63 regular-season appearances for Vancouver last year and logged 18 goals and 32 points while averaging 14:23 of ice time.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Diagnosed with testicular cancer
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Joshua successfully underwent surgery for testicular cancer but won't be ready for the start of training camp, per the Canucks' release Tuesday.
Joshua's statement acknowledged that he wouldn't be ready for training camp but was still hoping to return to action this season. Given the uncertainty regarding his timeline, the winger figures to start the year on long-term injured reserve. Without Joshua in the mix for a roster spot Opening Night, camp invitee Sammy Blais could earn himself a contract with a strong showing.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Inks four-year deal
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Joshua agreed to terms on a four-year, $13 million contract with Vancouver on Thursday.
Joshua is coming off a career year in which he set new personal bests in goals (18), assists (14) and shots (84) despite playing in just 63 regular-season games. If he can stay healthy in 2024-25, the 28-year-old winger should be capable of topping both the 20-goal and 40-point thresholds. Given his offensive upside, Joshua could be in the mix for power-play minutes during the campaign, a role that would further bolster his fantasy value.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Nets late equalizer
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Joshua netted a goal, added nine hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Oilers in Game 4.
Joshua scored late in the third period, but it wasn't late enough to prevent the Oilers from answering to get the win. The 27-year-old Joshua has eight points over 10 playoff outings, but six of them have come in a pair of three-point efforts, making him inconsistent with his contributions on offense. The winger has added seven shots on net, 54 hits and a plus-4 rating while playing on the third line.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Three points in Game 1
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Joshua tallied a goal and two assists in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Oilers in Game 1.
Joshua got Vancouver on the board in the opening minute of the second period, beating Stuart Skinner off a rebound before adding a pair of assists later in the contest. The goal was Joshua's first since he scored a pair in the opening game of Vancouver's first-round matchup with Nashville. The 27-year-old winger now has three goals and seven points through seven games in the playoffs after tallying a career-high 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 63 regular-season contests.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Provides helper Sunday
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Joshua notched an assist and two hits in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Predators in Game 4.
Joshua started the playoffs with a three-point effort in Game 1, but his offense went cold until he helped out on Elias Lindholm's game-winning tally Sunday. In addition to his four points, Joshua has added 17 hits, four blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over four postseason appearances. He remains a physical presence on the Canucks' third line, though he's also proven capable of chipping in with depth scoring.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Pops off for three points
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Joshua scored twice, dished an assist, went plus-3 and doled out six hits in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Predators in Game 1.
Joshua was the only player on either team to have multiple points in the series opener. The winger had six multi-point efforts during the regular season, which saw him rack up a career-best 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists), 84 shots on net, 245 hits and 60 PIM over 63 appearances. Joshua remains in a third-line role, but his hard-nosed playing style should be well-suited to the first-round matchup with Nashville and the playoffs as a whole.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Scores in win
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Joshua scored a goal on two shots, doled out seven hits and added two PIM in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Flames.
Joshua has five goals and a helper over nine games since he returned from an upper-body injury. The winger is cruising and bruising in a middle-six role this season. He's up to 18 tallies, 32 points, 82 shots on net, 60 PIM, 243 hits and a plus-19 rating through 62 outings overall.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Puts away empty-netter
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Joshua scored an empty-net goal on two shots and added two hits in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Oilers.
Joshua has scored four times and added an assist over eight games since he returned from an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old winger is up to 17 goals, 31 points, 80 shots on net, 236 hits, 58 PIM and a plus-18 rating through 61 outings in a career year. Joshua remains on the third line but could be in line for in-game promotions on occasion if he's making a noticeable impact.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Gathers helper in win
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Joshua logged an assist, two shots on goal and eight hits in Monday's 4-3 win over the Golden Knights.
Joshua has four points, 37 hits and a plus-2 rating over six contests since he returned from an upper-body injury. He's spent much of the campaign on the third line, but he's received an extended look alongside J.T. Miller in the top six since his return. Joshua reached the 30-point mark for the first time in his four-year career with his helper Monday, and he's added 78 shots on net, 58 PIM, a plus-18 rating and 232 hits over 59 appearances.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Scores in Saturday's loss
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Joshua scored a goal on two shots, doled out three hits, added 12 PIM and went plus-2 in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Kings.
Joshua got in trouble in the first period but was able to partially atone for his penalties with a goal in the third. The 27-year-old has scored three times and doled out 29 hits over five contests since he returned from an upper-body injury. He's up to 16 goals, 29 points, 76 shots on net, 224 hits, 58 PIM and a plus-17 rating through 58 games this season.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Two goals, including game-winner
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Joshua scored a pair of goals in Sunday's 3-2 win over Anaheim.
Joshua extended Vancouver's lead to 2-0 on a power play midway through the second period, beating Lukas Dostal with a nifty between-the-legs shot for his first goal on the man advantage this year. The 27-year-old winger added the game-winner with 2:13 left in the third, burying a net-front feed from Conor Garland to put the Canucks ahead 3-2. Joshua has seen steady usage alongside Garland and J.T. Miller on Vancouver's second line in two games since returning from an 18-game stint on IR. Joshua's up to 15 goals and 28 points, both career highs, through 55 games this season.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Expected to return Thursday
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Joshua (upper body) will be activated off long-term injured reserve and play Thursday versus Dallas, according to Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com.
Joshua has 13 goals, 26 points, 46 PIM and 195 hits in 53 contests this season. He was last in the lineup Feb. 13. The 27-year-old is projected to serve on the second line alongside J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser in his return, but Joshua might not be deployed on the power play.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Might be ready Thursday
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Joshua (upper body) could be an option versus Dallas on Thursday, telling reporters, "Yeah, possibly. I'm not sure yet. We'll talk about it and see how the morning goes," per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.
At this point, Joshua should probably be considered a game-time decision heading into Thursday's tilt, though the fact that he skated in a second-line role Wednesday serves as a strong indication he's nearing a return. If he does suit up against the Stars, it would be the 27-year-old winger's first appearance since Feb. 13 versus Chicago, a game in which he racked up three points.
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Canucks' Dakota Joshua: Shifts to LTIR
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Joshua (upper body) was moved to long-term injured reserve Tuesday.
Joshua has already missed more than the 10 games and 24 days of action required to qualify to return from LTIR, so this move won't change his return timetable. The 27-year-old winger has picked up 13 goals, 26 points and a whopping 195 hits through 53 contests this season.
