There was some great news for Vancouver Canucks fans this morning, as Dakota Joshua was on the ice for practice with his teammates.
Dakota Joshua practising with team in non-contact jersey. A great sight for Canucks.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) October 19, 2024
After nearly being cut in training camp a season ago, Joshua went on to have a massive year for the Canucks. The hard-hitting 28-year-old managed a career-high 18 goals and 32 points in just 63 games and added another four goals and eight points in 13 playoff outings.
Thanks to his breakout season, Joshua was rewarded with a four-year, $13 million extension in late June and was expected to have a big role for the Canucks in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, Joshua hasn’t been able to have any sort of role with the Canucks to this point, as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer over the summer.
“This summer, I felt a lump on one of my testicles that doctors would later diagnose as testicular cancer,” a statement from Joshua released by the team in September read. “This news was obviously scary to hear, but thankfully, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumour. The last several weeks have been extremely challenging, and I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my family, friends, teammates, and doctors.”
Joshua also made clear that he was working hard towards a return, and the fact that he was skating today proves just that. The fact that he was in a non-contact jersey shows that he still has a ways to go before returning to the lineup, but seeing him on the ice should help provide a major boost to his teammates.
The Canucks could use Joshua back in the lineup, as they have struggled to start the season with just one win through their first four games. That said, they were able to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers in their most recent outing and will look to make it two straight tonight as they get set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
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