NHL insider Mike Johnson revealed what he believes to be David Carle’s price tag if the Toronto Maple Leafs want him as their head coach.

Carle, the head coach of the University of Denver Pioneers in NCAA hockey, is said to be the Leafs’ top pick for their next head coaching candidate. The Leafs fired former head coach Craig Berube earlier this month, and new general manager John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin are now set to talk to between 30 and 40 potential HC candidates. Carle is one of them.

But the price is going to be high if they want to get him.

David Carle Comes With a Big Price Tag

Speaking on TSN’s OverDrive, Johnson, the former Maple Leafs player-turned-NHL insider, suggested that Carle’s contract with the Maple Leafs could approach six years and $48 million if they want to convince him to leave his dream job with the University of Denver.

“It might be, I’m not kidding, six years, $48 million to get David Carle out of Denver,” Johnson said. “David Carle turned down five or six million to go to Chicago (Blackhawks) last year.”

Even if the Leafs offer Carle a bag, however, Johnson is still unconvinced that Carle will leave his job with the Pioneers, as he has a young family and he seems committed to have his family grow up in the Denver area.

“He doesn’t need money. He’s a different guy. He went through a life-changing experience to become a coach, right? He had a heart ailment. It’s gotten him into this path in life. He has young children, he’s prioritized that, he’s pretty passionate about that. And he has longevity. You say he makes a million bucks in Denver. He can do it for 50 years. He could never have to leave. Where if you go and sign a three-year, $9 millon deal (in the NHL), cause you’re new, you might be gone in 18 months, you lost your college job, and your $9 million doesn’t go quite as far as the security and everything else that the University of Denver provides,” Johnson said.

David Carle Would Be a Perfect Fit in Toronto

Despite what appears to be a huge price tag, if the Leafs want to bring Carle to Toronto, he would be the perfect fit for this Leafs team that is currently in the stages of a major transition.

With 36-year-old Chayka coming in as GM, it makes sense for him to hire a younger coach, and Carle is also 36 years old, so they would both be on the same timeline. The Maple Leafs have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and are expected to take Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna with the top pick. What better coach to teach him the ropes than someone who is also coming from NCAA hockey in Carle?

We’ll see if the Leafs can convince Carle to leave his job in Denver, as it seems like he loves it there and doesn’t necessarily want to leave. But if the Leafs offer him $48 million reasons to do so, perhaps he’d have to consider it.