In a major development, per an NHL insider, David Carle has made the decision to decline an invitation to interview for the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach role. Regarded among the top young coaches in the sport, the 36-year-old is currently at the helm of the University of Denver ice hockey team.

Sports reporter Frank Seravalli took to his official X account to give some details as to how Carle came to his decision regarding the Maple Leafs.

“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. From here, it feels like Carle is a man on a mission to fix #cawlidgehockey.” 

The reference to college hockey from Seravalli is a direct indication of Carle’s interest in staying with the University of Denver ice hockey program for the time being.

This is not the first time Carle has passed up the opportunity to be a part of the NHL in his young coaching career. Last year, he had formally declined the offer to be the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks to focus on his young family and the Denver Pioneers in the NCAA.

Since 2018, Carle has been the head coach of Denver, playing a key role in securing consistent success for them in recent years. It was just two months ago when he and Denver secured their third NCAA D1 National Championships together.

All of those three NCAA titles have come over the course of the last five seasons for Carle and his Pioneers.

Moreover, aside from the Pioneers, Carle has already served as head coach for Team USA at the junior level. He helped them win back-to-back gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2024 and 2025.

Why Did the Maple Leafs Fire Their HC? 

The Toronto Maple Leafs made the decision to fire head coach Craig Berube last month after they finished in last place in the Atlantic Division. With that dismal run, the Maple Leafs had missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016.

New GM John Chayka made the call to relieve Berube of his duties after just one tough season in which their record was 32-36-14 for 78 points.

“We felt like this was the right decision on the path ahead. It was an organizational decision; it was not a verdict on Craig’s coaching,” Chayka explained.

With Carle not coming on board as the Maple Leafs head coach, Chayka still has a lot of work to do to bring an accomplished personality to take the team forward. At least, the franchise has the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft later this month to look forward to.

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs confirm their new head coach before the draft this June? Tell us in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central! 

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi