Maple Leafs Assign Dakota Joshua To LTIR Conditioning Loan

The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned forward Dakota Joshua to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a long-term injured reserve conditioning loan, according to the American Hockey League transactions log.

The move, reported Friday, signals progress for the 30-year-old after he opened the 2026-27 season on LTIR with an abdominal/core muscle injury he had been dealing with since the offseason. Joshua participated in training camp but was never able to progress the injury to a point where he could be effective in game action. He was listed as day-to-day early in camp, then week-to-week, before the club formally placed him on LTIR on Sept. 30 alongside Max Domi. That designation requires a projected absence of at least 10 games and 24 days and provided the Leafs with temporary cap flexibility while Joshua recovered.

The earliest Joshua could come off LTIR to be in a Leafs lineup would be Oct. 22 when the club hosts the New York Rangers.

Under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, an LTIR conditioning loan is distinct from a standard conditioning loan. A regular conditioning loan (CBA Section 13.8) cannot exceed 14 consecutive days, requires the player’s consent, and keeps the player on the NHL roster and payroll while the Commissioner retains the right to investigate any potential circumvention of waivers or the cap. For players already on the bona fide long-term injury/illness exception, the conditioning loan is shorter and more targeted: it is limited to a maximum of six days or three games (whichever comes first), again requires the player’s agreement, and is intended solely to assess fitness to return. The club and player can mutually agree to extend it for up to two additional games. 

Joshua is in the third year of the four-year, $13 million contract ($3.25 million AAV) he signed with the Vancouver Canucks in June 2024. The deal runs through 2027-28, when he will become an unrestricted free agent, and includes a modified no-trade clause. The Leafs acquired him from Vancouver on July 17, 2025, in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick, a low-cost addition of physical depth after he had been a Leafs fifth-round selection in 2014 before his rights were moved to St. Louis without him ever signing in Toronto.

His injury history has limited his availability since the extension. In 2024-25 with the Canucks he missed the start of the season after surgery for testicular cancer and later dealt with a leg injury, finishing with 14 points in 57 games. Last season, his first in Toronto, he recorded 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games while averaging just over 12 minutes a night. A lacerated kidney in late December cost him 19 contests, and he also sat out the final four games of the regular season with an upper-body issue.

Getting into AHL games will give the Leafs a clearer read on whether the core injury has healed enough for Joshua to return to his physical, forechecking style and contribute in a bottom-six role. With the club already navigating other injuries and a rebuilt supporting cast under coach Jim Hiller, a successful stint could accelerate his activation once the medical staff clears him.

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