The internet was going crazy on Sunday afternoon, as there were multiple reports indicating that David Carle would be the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they all turned out to be false.
The 36 year-old has had an incredible collegiate coaching career thus far, winning three NCAA National Championship's in the past five seasons. In addition to his success at the NCAA level, Carle has also coached Team USA to two World Junior Hockey Championship's.
Based on those accomplishments, it makes a ton of sense why many Leafs fans were jumping for joy when it seemed like he was going to be the next coach. Carle has always been someone who focuses on a team-first culture, puck posession and pressue, and can clearly coach top-end talent. However, the amateur ranks are not the NHL.
Coaching is obviously important, but in a two-week tournament where Team USA got lucky they didn't have to face Team Canada in the knockout stages, it doesn't feel like the coach matters as much? That may be an ignorant comment as he played a part in his team winning, but that roster was just so much better than anyone else's.
Carle will be a great coach one day, but not with the Leafs
This article isn't supposed to be a hate-piece on Carle but instead is supposed to reflect what the Leafs need right now. They are not a young and exciting team anymore. They are a veteran group and someone like John Tavares may not relate to a coach who's essentially the same age as him. Toronto needs a veteran coach who can coach NHL veterans, not someone who who's best skillset is recruiting and coaching 20 year-old's.
Just because a coach suceeds in the NCAA does not automatically mean they will be good at the professional level. Some of the best college coaches of all-time (Nick Saban and Pete Caroll) struggled in their first go-around's in the NFL. Saban returned to college where he dominated once again and never tried his shot at the NFL, while Caroll was able to be super successful on his second go-around, but that was 11 years later when he was much wiser and older.
Carle deserves an opportunity to be a professional head coach, but it shouldn't be with a team like the Leafs. That spotlight is way too hot and it's not something that would set him up for success, so because of that, fans should be happy he's not their coach.
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