The Vancouver Canucks are officially bringing back one of the best third lines in hockey.
With Conor Garland signed through 2026 and Teddy Blueger re-signing this week to a two-year deal, the one remaining player from the Good Job Boys was Dakota Joshua, who seemed destined for free agency.
Instead, Joshua re-signed on Thursday to a four-year deal with an average annual value of $3.25 million.
It's a somewhat surprising signing. As good as Joshua was this past season, it seemed like a top-tier third-line winger was going to be a luxury the Canucks couldn't afford, considering their need for a top-six winger and three more defencemen, including a top-four defenceman on the right side.
The Canucks instead prioritized Joshua, spending most of the cap space they freed up in the Ilya Mikheyev trade to re-sign Joshua.
The four-year contract with a $3.25 million cap hit is almost exactly what was projected by AFP Analytics, though many thought he could have gotten more on the open market in free agency. It's not a discount, per se, but it does indicated how much Joshua wanted to return to Vancouver.
It's understandable why the Canucks wanted Joshua back. He took significant steps forward last season, setting career highs in goals and points. He had fantastic chemistry with Garland no matter what centre they played with but particularly with Blueger on a third line that sometimes crept into second-line minutes. He was also a key component of the Canucks' improved penalty kill.
On top of all that, Joshua is a legitimate power forward, combining size, speed, and skill into one unique package. He finished seventh among NHL forwards in hits despite missing 19 games to injury and he led the Canucks with four fights, but he also stayed disciplined, drawing five more penalties than he took.
“Dakota had a strong season for us and took some big steps forward in his game,” said general manager Patrik Allvin in a statement. “We really like his size, his speed and physicality. He fit in well with our system and the way we want to play hockey and I look forward to watching him to continue to develop under our coaching staff.”
There are some questions remaining for Joshua. He has just two full seasons of NHL experience and is already 28 years old. Was last season indicative of who Joshua will be over the next four years or was it an outlier?
Joshua also had a 21.4% shooting percentage last season, so it's fair to wonder if he will be able to match his goal totals from last season, where he had 18 goals in 63 games — a 23-goal pace over 82 games.
Then there's the question of whether Joshua's physical style of game will lead to further injuries in the coming years, making a four-year contract a bit of a risk.
Most importantly, is spending $3.25 million on a third-line winger going to make it difficult for the Canucks to simultaneously sign a high-end top-six winger and upgrade the defence?
Even with all those concerns in mind, Joshua brings a lot to the table for the Canucks and a $3.25 million cap hit for a middle-six winger with his wide-ranging impact should provide good value for the Canucks in the coming years.
