Top NHL coaching candidate reportedly removes name from Chicago Blackhawks' consideration

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One of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NHL coaching cycle has taken his name out of the running for the Chicago Blackhawks' opening.

According to Elliotte Friedman, a national hockey reporter for Sportsnet in Canada and an NHL insider for the NHL Network, reported Saturday that David Carle took his name out of the running for the Blackhawks' head coaching job.

Carle, the current head coach at the University of Denver's hockey program, was considered the must-have coaching candidate.

What this means for the Blackhawks

Carle has won plenty and has coached plenty of NHL talent. This got him on the radar with plenty of NHL teams.

As the head coach at DU, Carle has won two NCAA National Championships, three NCHC Championships and two World Junior Gold Medals.

Carle is also familiar with the Blackhawks' talent. He's worked with Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Gavin Hayes and more. 

This could be a simple equation of Carle wanting to enter a situation that's more established. The Blackhawks finished with the second-to-worst record in the NHL in the last two seasons.

Any coach with Carle's reputation as a coaching candidate would want security, and the Blackhawks fired Luke Anderson and most likely won't retain Anders Sörensen.

It remains possible the Blackhawks and Carle weren't seeing eye to eye on the fine print. With Carle's status as a top coaching candidate, he will rightfully command a contract that reflects that.

What's next for the Blackhawks?

The 'Hawks search for a coach continues.

Unlike their football counterpart in Lake Forest, the Bears grabbed the hottest name on the coaching cycle in Ben Johnson. That won't be the case for the Blackhawks.

They'll have to turn the page now. A team that has plenty of young talent like Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov, Nazar, Moore, Rinzel and Hayes who all need a coach who can develop them to the next level.

The Blackhawks could turn their search to an established NHL coach. However, that coach will need a background in player development. Time will tell which direction the Blackhawks go, but now the front office can scratch one of the top names off their list.