Dakota Joshua and the Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into a season where his roster spot is anything but guaranteed.
His first year in Toronto was a genuinely uneven one, finishing with 10 goals and 18 points in just 55 games.
He led the Leafs with 195 hits, but the physical impact behind that number didn't always show up the way Toronto hoped.
October was brutal. Joshua managed only 2 goals and 3 points that month, posting a minus-7 rating at five-on-five before Craig Berube scratched him from the lineup.
Joshua answered that benching by playing better once he got back in, especially through December.
Then came a serious kidney injury on December 28 that cost him nearly two months of the season entirely.
His best stretch came right after returning, 4 goals and 7 points over 14 games in March, before another injury in April ended his year early again.
Why staying healthy is the only thing that actually matters now
That's back-to-back seasons now where injuries have derailed real progress, limiting Joshua to 55 games each time.
He's entering year three of a four-year deal worth $3,250,000 annually, and Toronto wants a lot more from that price tag this time.
Consistent physicality, real forechecking, offensive zone possession, and secondary scoring are all on the checklist heading into camp.
Bottom-six competition has only gotten tougher too, with several new additions pushing for the same jobs this season.
Head coach Jim Hiller inherits Joshua fresh, without the baggage of last year's benching decision, which could genuinely work in his favor heading into camp.
A clean slate with new coaching staff sometimes matters more than people realize, especially for a player who answered his last demotion by actually playing better.
Joshua still has a genuinely useful combination of size, physicality, and finishing touch when healthy and engaged.
If new management's vision actually comes together and Joshua stays on the ice all year, this contract ends up looking like a real bargain for Toronto.
Will Dakota Joshua stay healthy enough to prove his worth this season?
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