Important development regarding Canucks forward Dakota Joshua

As the Vancouver Canucks took to the ice for practice at the University of British Columbia on Tuesday morning, a familiar face joined them - Dakota Joshua. While Joshua has been at practice with the team this week, he's taken an important step forward in his recovery from injury and is now wearing a full-contact jersey, suggesting he's getting close to a return.

Getting Joshua back in the lineup is going to be huge for the Vancouver Canucks' bottom-six forward group. It's unclear when he may officially return, but given that he's wearing a full-contact jersey at practice, it could come at some point this week, with games against the Dallas Stars (Thursday) and Anaheim Ducks (Saturday) on the schedule.

Joshua, 27, suffered a hand injury during a fight against MacKenzie Entwistle on February 13th against the Chicago Blackhawks. He would also pick up a goal and two assists during the 4-2 win over Chicago.

The Canucks have been extremely cautious with Joshua's recovery and a couple of weeks ago, issued a statement saying he would miss a further ten to 14 days, but thankfully for everyone involved, he appears close to returning.

The Dearborn, Michigan native is having the best season of his NHL career so far, putting up 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists), 46 penalty minutes and is a plus-16 in 53 games with the Canucks.

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