Dakota Joshua, the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is opting to wear his usual number 81 again, but for an entirely different reason.Joshua, whom the Leafs acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2028 4th-round draft pick last week, told the Toronto Sun that he wants to wear number 81 in honour of former Maple Leafs winger and cancer survivor Phil Kessel.Both Kessel and Joshua have battled and overcome testicular cancer. Kessel was diagnosed during his rookie season with the Boston Bruins in 2006–07, before going on to spend six seasons with the Maple Leafs. During his time in Toronto, he tallied 394 points over 446 games, ranking 25th on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer of 2024. At age 28, he discovered a lump on his testicle, which doctors later confirmed to be malignant. The Michigan native underwent surgery in early September to have the tumour removed and missed training camp with the Canucks.“It puts your life in perspective,” Joshua said. “The biggest takeaway is that anything can happen to you, so make the most of [life]. But after coming out the other side, I’m stronger as a person. It makes you confident you can get through anything.”The 29-year-old power forward is coming off a down season with the Canucks, tallying seven goals and 14 points across 57 games. He had a career year in 2023-24, scoring 18 goals and 32 points across 63 regular-season games, and registering four goals and eight points across 13 playoff games in Vancouver.Joshua, who was selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NHL Draft (128th overall) by the Maple Leafs, has three years left on his contract with an average annual salary of $3.25 million.Joshua is the latest addition to a new-look group of Maple Leafs forwards that includes Mattias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy and Michael Pezzetta.