$13,000,000 Maple Leafs forward reveals HC Craig Berube's message to him after healthy scratch

Dakota Joshua sat out the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The physical centerman was healthy scratched after the team got reinforcements from injury.

Joshua's 5-point season so far has been highly underwhelming after the Leafs traded for him from the Vancouver Canucks this offseason. He is currently signed to a four-year $13 million contract with an annual average value of $3.25 million.

The 29-year-old acknowledge his shortcomings during the team's practice on Thursday.

"Yeah, just 'We need more out of you' and I agree with him," Joshua said. "I have no arguments with that. I need more out of myself, and so does the team. So that was the message and I got to be better."

"Obviously everybody's smart in here and gets the sense of how you're playing. So, I totally understand it hasn't gone well for me this year, but there's a lot of hockey left to turn it around and that's what I plan on doing."

Joshua's career season came during the Canucks' 2023-24 season when he scored 32 points in 63 games, averaging just a little over 14 minutes time on ice. He scored 14 points in 57 games in what was a disappointing 2024-25 campaign for the team.

The Leafs brought him in to control the play as a bottom-six forward with his aggressive charges for the puck. Joshua hopes to achieve that for head coach Craig Berube and co.

"I think just chipping in to control the game more with my linemates," Joshua added. "Being more connected out there and taking it upon myself to be a guy who drives the play down low and just makes it tougher on the other team."

Craig Berube highlights crucial area for Dakota Joshua to improve

Head coach Craig Berube, during his media scrum on Thursday, clarified that Joshua would return to the team for Friday's game against the Washington Capitals. While he said that the break would give him a sort of reset, Berube also noted that Joshua needed to get back his own physical identity.

“Getting to his identity,” Berube urged. “He has to be a physical, hard player to play against. He’s going to make and score his goals around the net, (so he needs) a little more puck touches in the offensive zone from the forecheck, getting to the net front, winning those battles and tipping pucks.”

During practice, Joshua skated on the third line alongside Nicolas Roy and Bobby McMann. Max Domi and Mattias Macelli, who were also scratched for Wednesday's game alongside Joshua, are likely to remain out of the starting lineup.