With Craig Berube out, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in search of a new head coach, with multiple reports suggesting they'll look for a fresh candidate. Here are three first-time NHL head coaches who could be considered for the Maple Leafs' 42nd head coach in franchise history.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in search of a new head coach after Craig Berube was fired on Wednesday.
Following the decision on the team's coaching change, Maple Leafs GM John Chayka faced the media and shared that the organization will be doing a broad search for the next bench boss, looking at candidates with "varying backgrounds and experiences."
Furthermore, there have been multiple reports, including from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, that indicate that Toronto will be looking to bring in a fresh face to lead the Leafs behind the bench next season.
With that in mind, here are three bench bosses who don't have any experience as a head coach in the NHL, but could be sensible candidates for the Maple Leafs.
David Carle, University Of Denver (NCAA)
David Carle has been a highly sought-after head coach for the past few years. He's spent the past eight seasons as the coach of the University of Denver Pioneers and has been very successful in the NCAA.
The 36-year-old bench boss has won three NCAA championships with Denver, all in the past five campaigns. That includes the 2026 title, the Pioneers defeated the University of Wisconsin Badgers 2-1.
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman reported that there's been "initial contact" between the Maple Leafs and the Pioneers coach for the purpose of gauging his interest.
It's not new to Carle for an NHL team to have interest in him. Before Joel Quenneville was hired by the Anaheim Ducks, Carle was reportedly a candidate for that job.
Manny Malhotra, Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Manny Malhotra is another coach who has been discussed at length in the rumor mill as a candidate for several NHL teams.
Malhotra led the Abbotsford Canucks, AHL affiliate to the Vancouver Canucks, to be Calder Cup champions last season.
With that, he has NHL experience, serving as an assistant coach for the Canucks from 2017-18 to 2019-20. After that, he spent the following four campaigns as an assistant coach of the Maple Leafs on Sheldon Keefe's staff.
The Mississauga, Ont., native is fairly familiar with the Maple Leafs' organization, making him a good fit for Toronto. However, the Leafs' brass will have some competition if they want Malhotra as the franchise's 42nd head coach.
John Gruden, Toronto Marlies (AHL)
John Gruden has been having a great year with the Toronto Marlies in the American League. In what is now his third season with the team, Gruden has pushed the Marlies to three straight post-season appearances. And this year, Toronto is in the Division Final in a tied 1-1 series against the Cleveland Monsters.
There are multiple reasons why Gruden would be a fit for the Maple Leafs in the NHL. Aside from his success in the Calder Cup playoffs this year, he has ties to the Maple Leafs' captain, Auston Matthews.
Gruden was an assistant coach for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program at the U-17 and U-18 levels. Gruden and Matthews crossed paths as early as 2013-14 with the U-18 NTDP team.
They also worked together at the 2014 U-18 World Championship, where Matthews scored five goals and seven points in seven games.
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