Bo Groulx may be on the cusp of a bigger opportunity in Toronto, and Dakota Joshua’s injury is the opening that could make it happen.
With Joshua dealing with a core issue, James Mirtle reported that Groulx is very likely to begin the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Joshua expected to land on either IR or LTIR. For Groulx, that would mark a significant jump after spending last season bouncing in and out of the Leafs lineup.
The 26-year-old got into 13 games with Toronto a year ago and chipped in three goals and two assists for five points. That brief NHL look was modest, but it followed a much stronger run in the minors, where Groulx has built a reputation as a productive AHL forward.
His best work has come with the Marlies. In a championship season, he posted 52 points in 59 games, including 28 goals. He also played a productive role in the Calder Cup run, further backing up the idea that his development has taken a real step forward.
At the NHL level, Groulx’s overall line is still thin: 10 points in 78 games between the Anaheim Ducks and Maple Leafs. Even so, the gaps in his opportunities have made that number less revealing than it looks on paper.
There is still no certainty that Groulx ends up in the opening-night lineup, but being projected to make the roster is a clear sign he’s in the mix.
Joshua’s situation is murkier. If he is moved to IR or LTIR, there will be internal conversations about where he fits long-term in Toronto. The additions general manager John Chayka made this summer have sparked talk that Joshua’s role could be redundant, and had he not been hurt, the Leafs were thought to be exploring trade options.
Waivers or even a buyout could be next on the table. It’s a difficult turn for a player who arrived in Toronto last year with plenty of expectation, only to fall short of it.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Just Built Deeper Roster Insurance Than Fans Realize
The Maple Leafs quietly turned a roster squeeze into a depth win this week, placing eight players on waivers and sending all of them through to the Toronto Marlies. The group includes Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski, Ryan Tverberg, Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai, giving the organization a fuller reserve of NHL-caliber options than it may have had at this point last season.
For Toronto, the immediate effect is less about the big clubs opening-night picture and more about what it means underneath it. The Marlies suddenly have a far more experienced mix to lean on, while the Maple Leafs can keep a deeper layer of roster insurance close by if injuries or performance issues force changes later on. In a league where early-season attrition can reshape depth charts quickly, that kind of organizational cushion matters more than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Short-Term Wing Decision To Make
The Blue Jackets putting Miles Wood on waivers put another experienced winger into the conversation for clubs looking to stabilize their depth, and the Maple Leafs are among the teams that can at least take a serious look. Wood has been around the league long enough to know the grind of a full season, and his name lands in Toronto at a time when the roster could use some extra insurance on the wing.
For the Leafs, the appeal is straightforward: he is a veteran option with a track record of NHL minutes and a contract that makes him a more manageable short-term discussion than a splashier addition. The question now is whether Toronto sees enough value in that profile to move quickly, or whether it lets the waiver process play out and waits to see what other answers might emerge. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Fans Just Got An Unexpected Old Faces Debate
As the NHL season creeps closer, a few familiar names have popped back into the conversation for Toronto fans. On Saturday, Pierre Engvall, Justin Holl, Alex Steeves and Alex Nylander, all former Maple Leafs, were placed on waivers by their current clubs, creating an odd little reminder of how much roster churn still sits around the league this time of year.
Engvall was waived by the New York Islanders, Holl by the Washington Capitals, Steeves by the Boston Bruins and Nylander by the Calgary Flames, and each case ties back in some way to a recent chapter in Toronto. For Maple Leafs fans, it is the sort of late-summer snapshot that invites a quick look back at old faces, even as all four players are now in the middle of trying to secure their places elsewhere before the season fully settles in. [Read more 🡒]