Dakota Joshua of the Canucks will make his season debut in one to two weeks.
Steven Ellis originally posted this on Daily Faceoff. It was last updated on October 22, 24.
After receiving a testicular cancer diagnosis during the summer, Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua may make his season debut in the coming one to two weeks, according to Daily Faceoff source Frank Seravalli.
Joshua just started practicing with the Canucks again while wearing a non-contact jersey. Before the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Thomas Drance of The Athletic noted that Joshua would “begin to take a few ‘bumps'” during practice.
Before settling on a contract with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, Joshua played for a while with the St. Louis Blues. Joshua scored a career-high 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games during his stellar 2023–24 campaign. He helped the Canucks advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by contributing an additional four goals and eight points in 13 playoff games.
This past June, Joshua was awarded a four-year, $13 million contract deal for his outstanding play. This past summer, he received a testicular cancer diagnosis, which prevented him from participating in the NHL season’s opening. Joshua has tried to go back on the ice after undergoing successful surgery to remove the tumor despite the diagnosis
In a statement released by the Canucks on September 17, Joshua stated, “This summer, I felt a lump on one of my testicles that doctors would later diagnose as testicular cancer.” Hearing this news was undoubtedly frightening, but fortunately, the tumor was successfully removed by the specialists. The past few weeks have been really trying, but I’ve been lucky to have my family, friends, teammates, and physicians at my side.
With six points and a poor start to 2024–25, the Canucks are now ranked sixth in the Pacific Division. Despite not having Thatcher Demko as their main goalie, the squad has a 2-1-2 record. The battle is still close since the Canucks are only three points behind the Calgary Flames for first place in the Pacific.
