Joshua Cleared for Oct. 22; One Name Off a List That Still Has Several

Dakota Joshua is eligible to come off injured reserve on October 22, which makes him the most concrete piece of good news Toronto has had in a while. I noted last week that he was nearing his return window, and here it is. He's still listed on injured reserve, but the date is on the calendar.

It's a modest addition in isolation. Joshua is a depth forward, not a difference-maker, but the Leafs are a team that has been running short on bodies. Max Domi, William Villeneuve, Cade Webber, and Elvis Merzlikins remain on IR with no clear return timeline attached to any of them. John Tavares has been out, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is day-to-day. Getting one name back doesn't fix the list — it just shortens it by one.

The timing does matter a little. Toronto has gone 5-5 over its last 10 games, which is better than most of this season looked, and adding even a healthy depth forward gives the coaching staff one more option when they're shuffling lines around injuries. That's the practical value here — not a spark, just a body who can play.