The Vancouver Canucks have signed ahead Dakota Joshua to a four-year contract value $3.25 million per season. The 28-year-old exploded production-wise in 2023-24 in Vancouver, so he acquired a big-time reward for that with this deal.
With 18 objectives and 14 assists for 32 factors in 63 video games on simply 14:23 of common ice time, which incorporates utilization on the penalty kill, Joshua had an amazing season. What does this imply for his future?
Can Joshua Match His 2023-24 Season?
Whereas Joshua had an amazing season for the Canucks in a third-line position, it’s affordable to query if he can maintain his scoring. With an otherworldly 21.4 taking pictures proportion, it’s primarily a assure that he’ll fall again all the way down to earth. Except he performs extra in 2024-25, he in all probability gained’t rating as a lot as he did.
A part of the excellent news for Joshua is that he isn’t only a scorer. He had first rate on-ice defensive numbers, likes to hit, and has upside on the penalty kill. He may be the prototypical bottom-six checking ahead on the worst, and that’s not a foul factor. His offensive manufacturing gained’t completely vanish, so his unsustainable ending outcomes aren’t an excessive amount of to fret about. Playoff groups just like the Canucks love having gamers like Joshua, in order that’s one thing to think about, too.
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Joshua is the sort of participant who is usually a match just about anyplace that’s requested of him, which is one other profit. He’s not a first-line participant, however it’s not unreasonable to have him on the second line, he can play on the third line fairly comfortably and could be a pleasant match for the fourth line, too.
Match with Vancouver
The Canucks had been the staff that acquired the very best out of Joshua, so naturally it is smart that he would return. He is usually a stable middle-six participant for them if needed, seeing as they’ve elite pure offensive expertise in gamers like Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and arguably even Brock Boeser. He can slot on the second line taking a look at how their contracts are laid out, or is usually a third-line participant like he was for them of their most up-to-date marketing campaign.
The Canucks are getting a useful participant for his or her common season and playoff rosters at a stomachable price. He’s making third-line cash, however he is an effective third-line participant with room for extra. The contract worth is smart, and it additionally is smart why they might need to carry Joshua again. Good forwards all through an NHL lineup is important, and it was additionally key to the Canucks’ success in 2023-24.
Because of their current commerce of Ilya Mikheyev, Vancouver has a bit of cash to spend within the offseason. Their key free brokers embrace Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Myers, and Ian Cole—they’ve over $15 million in projected cap area to carry who they need again and in addition add sooner or later. An enormous offseason is forward for the Canucks.
