{"id":115151,"date":"2026-07-03T18:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/115151\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:54:14","slug":"nhl-trade-rumors-toronto-maple-leafs-linked-to-shocking-10-75-million-trade-package-for-impact-defenseman-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/115151\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Trade Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs linked to shocking $10.75 million trade package for impact defenseman | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NHLNHL Trade Rumors Maple Leafs (Getty Images) The Toronto Maple Leafs have been among the NHL’s busiest teams this offseason, but their summer business appears far from complete. New general manager John Chayka has already reshaped the forward group by adding five new faces, selected Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick, and strengthened the defense with Darren Raddysh. Those additions have earned praise, yet they have also created a new challenge. Toronto is now operating above the salary cap, making at least one significant move increasingly likely. As trade speculation grows, Dakota Joshua has emerged as one of the clearest candidates to leave, with a bigger objective potentially driving the decision.<\/p>\n

Why are the Maple Leafs being linked to a Dakota Joshua trade?<\/p>\n

Toronto’s aggressive offseason has left little financial flexibility, and trimming salary has become a priority. According to PuckPedia, the Maple Leafs are currently over the salary cap, putting pressure on the front office to create room before the season begins.That has placed Joshua firmly in the rumor mill. NHL insider David Pagnotta reported that the veteran forward’s name has surfaced in trade discussions following Toronto’s busy run of signings. Joshua has two years remaining on his contract with a $3.25 million average annual value, making him a logical option for a cap-clearing move.A deal, however, is not as straightforward as it looks. Joshua’s contract includes a 12-team no-trade clause, giving him some control over where he can be moved. That restriction could narrow Toronto’s options and complicate negotiations if interest develops from clubs on his protected list.The Athletic’s James Mirtle also sees Joshua as a realistic trade candidate, though he believes the purpose would extend beyond simple cap relief. Rather than replacing Joshua with another forward, Toronto is expected to direct any savings toward strengthening its defense. Even with Raddysh joining the roster, management appears to believe another dependable top-four defenseman would better balance the lineup heading into next season.<\/p>\n

Could Morgan Rielly’s future determine Toronto’s next defensive move?<\/p>\n

Joshua may not be the only veteran whose future remains uncertain. Morgan Rielly has consistently appeared in trade speculation throughout the offseason, and moving his contract would dramatically change Toronto’s financial outlook.Chris Johnston of The Athletic recently reported that there is a 75 percent chance Rielly is traded this summer. He also revealed that the defenseman has identified four Western Conference teams as preferred destinations. So far, though, no agreement has materialized. If Toronto hopes to complete a deal, Rielly may eventually need to widen his list of acceptable destinations.The Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly shown interest, while the Pittsburgh Penguins could also emerge as a potential landing spot if more options become available.Trading both Joshua and Rielly would create roughly $10.75 million in cap space, giving Chayka enough flexibility to pursue another proven top-four defenseman. With Darren Raddysh expected to handle a major role on the right side and Toronto’s forward group largely settled if Matthew Knies remains, adding a left-shot defender appears to be the logical next step.One attractive option is no longer available. Zach Werenski, who would have fit Toronto’s needs well, has committed his long-term future to the Columbus Blue Jackets, forcing the Maple Leafs to look elsewhere as they continue reshaping their blue line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NHL Trade Rumors Maple Leafs (Getty Images) The Toronto Maple Leafs have been among the NHL’s busiest teams…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[39564,4875,2032,39565,11668,2913,48,954],"class_list":["post-115151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-dakota-joshua-trade","tag-darren-raddysh","tag-maple-leafs","tag-morgan-rielly-trade","tag-nhl-offseason","tag-nhl-trade-rumors","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-maple-leafs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}