- Jim Hiller does not know if Dakota Joshua will be ready for Toronto’s Sept. 29 opener against Montreal
- Joshua skated with the Marlies group Monday while Bo Groulx moved up as the 13th forward
- Read below for Hiller’s full explanation and what it does to Toronto’s fourth line
Dakota Joshua may not be in the lineup when the Maple Leafs open their season.
Toronto head coach Jim Hiller told reporters Monday that he does not know whether the 30-year-old winger will be ready for the Sept. 29 opener against Montreal, and he would not name the injury.
Here is the word out of Monday’s session:
Hiller was asked how close Joshua is to being game-ready.
“I won’t get into any specifics, but I know he has been dealing with something and he was up and running, but just felt like maybe he just didn’t have enough time to really get full-speed skating, catching his wind, all that kind of stuff. He’s not quite there yet.”
Watch Hiller’s full session from Monday:
Joshua skated with the Marlies group on Monday, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, while Bo Groulx moved up to the NHL side as the 13th forward.
Groulx made a quick impression on his new coach.
“Just a solid player, a really smart player, from what I can see. Good shot. He’s a guy who knows how to play.”
Camp has mostly passed Joshua by. He opened on the fourth line last Thursday with Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, two of the forwards John Chayka brought in this summer, then sat out both halves of Saturday’s split-squad set against the Canadiens.
Missing time costs more this year. The new CBA trimmed the exhibition slate to four games per team across eight days, which leaves almost no runway to build anything with new linemates.
None of this is new for him. An upper-body injury ended his 2025-26 season a week early, and a lacerated kidney against Detroit cost him roughly two months between late December and late February. He still finished with 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games.
The Canadiens visit Scotiabank Arena eight days from now.
