Leafs rumors: Toronto has ‘made initial contact’ with David Carle in head coach search

Amid their organizational overhaul, which included the hiring of general manager John Chayka, the Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly reached out to a very successful college coach as Craig Berube’s successor.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs have contacted three-time national championship-winning University of Denver head coach David Carle.

“I’ve heard it has simply been an initial conversation to gauge his interest,” Friedman said on ’32 Thoughts: The Podcast’. “I believe they will talk again, but I would caution anyone against running with it too hard or feeling that he’s a favorite.”

Friedman added that it is “premature to name anybody as a favorite right now,” as Toronto is casting a rather large net in its search, which includes former Leafs assistant Manny Malhotra, who is now the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL, as well as former Edmonton Oilers head coach and current Anaheim Ducks assistant Jay Woodcroft.

Carle, 36, has been the Denver head coach since 2018, when he took over for Jim Montgomery after Montgomery became the Dallas Stars’ new coach. Aside from a two-year stint in the United States Hockey League, Carle has been with the Pioneers since 2008, when he became a student assistant coach after a heart condition ended his playing career. Under Carle, Denver has won three NCAA titles in the last five years.

On May 13, 10 days after hiring Chayka, Toronto fired Berube as its head coach. Berube served in the position for two seasons. During the first, he led the Leafs to an 108-point season and an Atlantic Division title before losing in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs. This past season, the Leafs went 32-36-14 and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

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