Getty John Chayka of the Maple Leafs As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue their search for a new head coach ahead of the 2026-2027 season, the team has a variety of directions they could go in when it comes to making this decision. Early on in the process, it felt that general manager John Chayka wanted to target an NHL newcomer for the position. The Maple Leafs were heavily linked to one of the top college coaches in the game, Denver’s David Carle. However, signs point to him staying at the