The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.

Joshua, 29, recorded 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) and a team second-best 193 hits in 57 games last season. He missed the early portion of the campaign while recovering from surgery to treat testicular cancer.

“Dakota went through a lot last season before the year even started and we were very impressed in how he handled such a difficult off-ice situation,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “Once healthy, he tried hard to help the team in many ways, and we want to wish him the best moving forward in Toronto.”

Signed to a four-year, $13 million contract on June 27, 2024, Joshua has totaled 78 points (40 goals, 38 assists) in 241 career games since he was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Joshua was traded to St. Louis in 2019 and made his NHL debut in 2020-21, playing for the Blues and Canucks.

–Field Level Media

Goaltender Lukas Dostal reached a five-year contract extension to remain with the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced Thursday.

Per The Athletic, the deal is for $32.5 million and carries a $6.5 average annual value.

“Lukas has proven he is a No. 1 goaltender and we are so pleased to get this deal done,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”

Dostal, 25, posted a 23-23-7 record with one shutout, a 3.10 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 54 games (49 starts) last season.

Dostal shared netminding responsibilities with John Gibson, who was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 28 for fellow goaltender Petr Mrazek, fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and second-round selection in 2027.

“Super excited to announce that I’m staying in Anaheim for another five years,” Dostal said in a video message to the fans shared by the Ducks on X, formerly Twitter.

“I love to play in front of you and I love to live in this community. We are a team on the rise and I can’t wait to see you soon in the Honda Center.”

Dostal has a 42-58-13 record with two shutouts, a 3.29 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 121 career appearances (107 starts) with the Ducks.

–Field Level Media

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov has requested a trade from the team, citing conflict with head coach Dean Evason.

The Russian player announced his wish in a statement released Thursday on social media by his agent, Shumi Babaev.

“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season. Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location,” Chinakhov said in the statement posted on X. “Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell reacted to the request in an interview with The Athletic.

Waddell acknowledged that Chinakhov “fell out of favor” with Evason. The GM added that he will continue to engage in trade talks with other teams but is looking for value in return.

“I’m not just going to trade him because you said to trade him,” he told The Athletic.

The Blue Jackets selected Chinakhov, 24, with the 21st overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The past two seasons, a back injury limited the playing time of Chinakhov. In 2024-25, he posted 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 30 games. The previous season, he tallied 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games.

Chinakhov has one season remaining on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. He will earn $2.1 million.

“We are fully aware that there is an active contract in place, and if Yegor’s request for a trade does not materialize, he will continue to give 120 percent in fulfilling his responsibilities,” Babaev said in a separate social media post.

In 175 career games, he has 71 points (34 goals, 37 assists) and a minus-42 rating.

–Field Level Media

Gerard Gallant, who spent 11 seasons as a head coach in the NHL, has accepted a coaching position in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, TSN reported Thursday.

An official announcement is expected soon.

Gallant, 61, last coached in the NHL with the New York Rangers (2021-23) but previously coached the Columbus Blue Jackets (2003-04, 2005-07), Florida Panthers (2014-17) and expansion Vegas Golden Knights (2017-20).

He took the first-year Vegas squad to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, where they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games. He won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s coach of the year.

In this first season with the Rangers in 2021-22, he led the team to the Eastern Conference final with a 52-24-6 (110 points) record, with the Rangers losing in the Eastern Conference final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.

The next season, despite a 47-22-13 (107 points) mark, the Rangers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in seven games by the New Jersey Devils.

He was fired after that season.

Gallant has a career record of 369-262-4-70 in 705 regular-season games.

–Field Level Media