The Maple Leafs are still on the hunt for their next head coach as one of the top candidates in David Carle has rejected their offer to be behind Toronto's bench next season.
While it was reported earlier that there is a strong likelihood that Carle was going to be the Leafs' next head coach from one specific reporter, after a chaotic Sunday afternoon filled with fake social media accounts and people pretending they have sources, several insiders came out and gave clarity. Specifically, that while the Leafs and Carle have spoken on multiple occassions since the head coach search started, the 36-year-old hotshot coach has said thanks but no thanks.
For now, Carle is going to return to the University of Denver to try and win a fourth national championship (and maybe a third World Juniors gold with Team USA) as he has said now is not the time to make the jump to the NHL. And more specifically, didn't even want to have a formal interview with the Leafs for the head coach role.
Sources said David Carle and the #Leafs brass had a pleasant conversation early in their process where he politely declined an invitation to interview for their head coaching vacancy.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 31, 2026
From here, feels like Carle is a man on a mission to fix #cawlidgehockey.
I’m told that while Toronto has spoken with David Carle, that’s the extent of things. No formal interview has taken place. I’m told Carle has told the Leafs now is not the right time for him.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 31, 2026
So it appears that any report of Carle nearing a decision to make the jump to the NHL, was just simply wrong. And it makes perfect sense.
Carle is in one of the most comfortable positions in the entire sport and virtually has a job for life at the University of Denver if he wants it. With a young family and liking the situation he's in, it will take life-changing money and the perfect team for him to leave that job and go to the NHL. Is that the Leafs? Probably not.
With the immense pressure to succeed almost immediately and make the playoffs next season, as Auston Matthews's decision to stay looms and the threat of the team not having their next two first-round draft picks only complicates the whole thing. Not even to mention that there will be major roster turnover this summer and that includes adding the 2026 first-overall selection, which is most likely Gavin McKenna.
That whole situation does not sound great for a first-time head coach on a professional level. So now, the Leafs return to the drawing board.
Where do the Leafs go from here without Carle?
The most recent report about the Leafs head coaching vacancy that did not involve Carle is that Toronto does not have any interest in interviewing Jay Woodcroft. Just to add another disappointing bit of news on to the pile.
Are the Leafs waiting for the Avalanche to make their decision on Jared Bednar? Possibly. That could be the easiest decision -- just to add one of the best coaches in the modern NHL and hopefully a roster that reflects his high-tempo style.
If that doesn't happen, then where Toronto goes from here is really a mystery. Return to Manny Malhotra despite it seeming like he's joining the Canucks? Is it Bruce Cassidy? Is it the weird retread of Peter Laviolette? No one knows.
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