The Maple Leafs may have found an unexpected solution to one of their biggest roster problems before the season even begins: Dakota Joshua could be headed for Robidas Island.
That isn’t necessarily because Toronto wants him there. In fact, the Maple Leafs would presumably prefer to have the 30-year-old forward healthy and available.
But Joshua’s injury situation has suddenly become one of the more interesting developments of training camp.
Head coach Jim Hiller has confirmed that Joshua is dealing with an injury, but he has not provided a timetable for his return. Joshua missed Toronto’s first preseason game and subsequently skated with the Marlies group rather than the main NHL group. His status for the September 29 season opener remains uncertain.
That creates an awkward situation.
Dakota Joshua carries a $3.25 million cap hit through 2027-28, and the Maple Leafs already have one of the most crowded forward groups they have assembled in years.
Suddenly, an injury that looked like nothing more than an unfortunate setback could give Toronto some valuable flexibility.
And that is where Robidas Island comes into play.
Maple Leafs Could Use LTIR to Solve a Complex Problem
There is an important distinction here.
Joshua cannot simply be placed on LTIR because he is injured.
To qualify, the injury would have to keep him out for at least 10 games and 24 days. Regular injured reserve, by comparison, requires a player to be unavailable for at least seven days but provides no salary-cap relief.
So everything depends on how serious Joshua’s injury actually is.
Right now, there is no indication that the Maple Leafs know he will miss that much time.
But if they determine that he will, putting Dakota Joshua on LTIR could become an attractive option.
Toronto has spent aggressively this offseason, adding players such as Colton Sissons, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime to a forward group that already included Joshua. The result is a much deeper bottom six, but also a roster that has very little room for everyone.
Joshua’s absence would create an opening.
LTIR could create something even more valuable: cap flexibility.
The Maple Leafs could use the space created by Joshua’s placement to carry another player who might otherwise be squeezed out of the roster.
That could be particularly important if the organization wants to give a younger player an opportunity.
It is not necessarily the outcome anyone wanted when Dakota Joshua arrived at camp.
But it could be useful.
And for a team constantly forced to make difficult salary-cap decisions, useful is sometimes enough.
Dakota Joshua Could Give Maple Leafs a Different Problem Later
There is another reason the Joshua situation deserves attention.
The Maple Leafs need to figure out what he actually is in this lineup.
Joshua played only 55 games last season and finished with 10 goals and 18 points. He still led Toronto in hits with 195, but his season was repeatedly interrupted by injuries.
That makes his $3.25 million contract difficult to evaluate.
When Joshua is healthy and playing his best hockey, there is a clear role for him. He brings size, physicality and an ability to play the kind of game Toronto has spent years trying to add to its lineup.
But the Maple Leafs have added considerably more competition around him.
If Dakota Joshua starts the season on LTIR, someone else will get his minutes.
And that player could make the decision much harder when Joshua eventually returns.
This is where the situation becomes particularly interesting.
Toronto could discover that the temporary solution works.
If a younger forward takes advantage of the opportunity and the bottom six starts clicking without Joshua, the Maple Leafs will have to decide whether they can simply put him back into the lineup because of his contract.
That is not necessarily a given.
The organization has already made it clear that this year’s roster is supposed to be deeper and harder to play against. Joshua was supposed to be part of that equation, but he is now fighting just to get onto the ice.
The best-case scenario is obviously that Joshua gets healthy quickly and forces his way back into the lineup.
If that happens, there is no Robidas Island discussion.
But if this injury turns into something that keeps him out for an extended period, Toronto could make the most of a difficult situation.
The Maple Leafs would gain cap flexibility.
Another player would get an opportunity.
And Dakota Joshua would have time to recover without the pressure of rushing back for opening night.
That may not have been the plan.
But if Joshua cannot play, Robidas Island might be exactly where the Maple Leafs need him.
Dakota Joshua Could Be Headed for Robidas Island