David Carle Talks Open Maple Leafs Job in Initial Conversation

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their search by having an initial conversation with david carle about the vacant head coaching position. The talks are preliminary, but they put a 36-year-old three-time NCAA national champion in the frame for one of the NHL’s most scrutinized jobs.

Toronto and Carle

That conversation was raised on Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, where Elliotte Friedman said Toronto used the meeting to gauge his interest. Friedman also said the talks were purely preliminary and that neither Carle nor anyone else should be considered the favorite in the process at this time.

The Maple Leafs have already been linked to the idea of a fresh face in their next coaching search, a shift from the previous hire of Craig Berube. Carle fits that profile cleanly: he has never held a coaching role in the NHL or at the professional level.

Carle’s Denver Resume

Carle has been Denver’s head coach since 2018-19. In that span, he has won three NCAA national championships and two World Junior championships as head coach, giving Toronto a candidate with a trophy case but no NHL bench time.

He also withdrew himself from consideration from one NHL search in the past, a detail that fits the cautious approach around his next move. For Toronto, that leaves the Leafs waiting on whether a coach with a decorated college record will decide to step into a pro opening for the first time.

Maple Leafs Search

The immediate reality is simple: the Maple Leafs have started by asking questions, not making a commitment. That keeps Carle in the picture without making him the front-runner, and it leaves Toronto still working through a coaching search that now has at least one prominent name attached to it.