What Do NHL Coaches Make?

NHL coaches are some of the highest-paid coaches in professional sports. Here’s a look at what they make on average.

NHL Coaches Salaries

The average NHL coach makes $2.4 million per year, with the highest-paid coaches making over $3 million per year. Coaches in the NHL typically have a lot of experience and success at lower levels before making it to the NHL.

Average NHL Coach’s Salary

NHL coaches are some of the highest-paid people in the world of professional sports. The average NHL coach’s salary was $2.6 million per year as of 2017, according to “USA Today.” The highest-paid NHL coach was Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who made $6 million per year. The lowest-paid NHL coach was then-Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma, who made $800,000 per year.

NHL coaches typically make more money than head coaches in other professional sports leagues. For example, as of 2017, the average NFL head coach’s salary was $2.5 million per year and the average MLB head coach’s salary was $1.4 million per year, according to “USA Today.”

Highest-Paid NHL Coaches

In the National Hockey League, the head coach is the person responsible for directing the team during games and practices, and is usually the de facto leader of the team off the ice as well. He or she is typically responsible for crafting and executing game strategies, making personnel decisions (such as which players to start and which to put on the bench), managing player discipline, and giving media interviews (both during and outside of playing seasons).

The highest-paid head coach in the NHL is John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who has an annual salary of $2 million. Tortorella led the Blue Jackets to a surprise playoff berth in 2019, his first season with the team. The other coaches who round out the top five highest-paid coaches in the NHL are:

2. Joel Quenneville (Chicago Blackhawks): $1.8 million
3. Mike Babcock (Toronto Maple Leafs): $1.7 million
4. Barry Trotz (Washington Capitals): $1 million
5. Claude Julien (Montreal Canadiens): $950,000

Lowest-Paid NHL Coaches

The NHL salary cap is $81.5 million for the 2019-20 season, which means each team has an average of $4.3 million to spend per player. However, that number can vary widely from team to team, and it’s not uncommon for some teams to have significantly more salary cap space than others.

So, what do NHL coaches make? That depends on a number of factors, including the coach’s experience, the team’s success, and the size of the market. The lowest-paid NHL coach is Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, who has an annual salary of just $1 million. That’s not even close to what some of the league’s other coaches make.

Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette is the highest-paid NHL coach, with an annual salary of $4 million. Laviolette is followed by Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville ($3 million), Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper ($2.8 million), and San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer ($2.8 million).

NHL Coaches’ Contracts

NHL coaches typically sign one- or two-year contracts with their teams, though some coaches have been known to sign multi-year deals. In general, coaches’ salaries are not made public. However, it is believed that the average NHL coach makes between $1 million and $2 million per year.

Length of NHL Coaches’ Contracts

NHL coaches’ contracts typically run for three or four years, with a few coaches signing one- or two-year deals. The average length of an NHL head coach’s contract is about three years, although there are a few coaches who have five-year deals.

Many coaches’ contracts include clauses that allow the team to extend the contract by one or two years if the team reaches certain performance goals, such as making the playoffs. Some coaches’ contracts also include bonuses for winning awards, such as the Stanley Cup or the Jack Adams Award (given to the NHL’s best coach).

NHL Coaches’ Contract Buyouts

NHL coaches’ contracts are not fully guaranteed, meaning that if a team decides to fire a coach during the season or offseason, they are only responsible for paying out the remaining amount of money owed on the contract. However, teams often opt to buyout coaches’ contracts instead of firing them outright.

When a team buys out a coach’s contract, they are responsible for paying the coach two-thirds of the remaining value of the contract spread out over twice the length of the contract. For example, if a coach has three years remaining on their contract worth $3 million per year, and the team buys them out, they would owe the coach $6 million over six years ($1 million per year).

NHL Coaches’ Contract Extensions

In recent years, NHL teams have been rewarding their coaches with contract extensions well before their deals are set to expire. This is a far cry from the days when coaches were always one bad season away from being fired.

The trend started in earnest in 2013, when the Chicago Blackhawks gave coach Joel Quenneville a three-year extension with two years left on his previous deal. That was followed by similar extensions for Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper.

The trend has continued in recent years, with the likes of the Washington Capitals’ Todd Reirden, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Gerard Gallant and the Winnipeg Jets’ Paul Maurice all getting multi-year extensions before their deals were up.

So what has changed? For one thing, teams are more patient nowadays and are willing to give their coaches time to build a winner. They also realize that it’s cheaper to extend a coach’s contract than it is to hire a new one.

Another factor is that there are simply fewer coaching jobs available now than there were in the past. With 30 teams in the NHL, there are only 60 coaching positions – and many of those are filled by coaches who have been with their teams for several years. That leaves fewer openings for up-and-coming coaches to get their chance.

So if you’re an NHL coach with a contract that is about to expire, your best bet is to start negotiating an extension sooner rather than later.

NHL Coaches’ Salaries by Team

Although the average salary of an NHL coach is around $2 million per year, there is a lot of variation among team salaries. The highest-paid coach in the NHL is Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock, who makes $2.8 million per year. The lowest-paid coach in the NHL is John Stevens of the Los Angeles Kings, who only makes $700,000 per year.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Ducks have played their home games at Honda Center since their inception in 1993.

Head coach Dallas Eakins is in his first season with the Ducks. He was hired on June 20, 2019, after leading the San Diego Gulls to a record of 41–20–5 in the American Hockey League (AHL). Eakins signed a multi-year contract with the Ducks. His annual salary is $2 million.

Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Coyotes first played at America West Arena in downtown Phoenix, before moving to Glendale’s Gila River Arena in 2003.

As of the 2019–20 NHL season, the Coyotes are coached by Rick Tocchet and general manager John Chayka. The highest-paid coach in 2019–20 is Calgary Flames’ head coach Bill Peters, who will earn $3 million. Washington Capitals’ head coach Todd Reirden is second, earning $2.75 million. Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper rounds out the top three, earning $2.5 million.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins have been in existence since 1924, and are the oldest American-based team in the NHL.

As of the 2019–20 NHL season, Claude Julien is the head coach of the Bruins, and has a salary cap hit of $2,500,000.

Buffalo Sabres

Lindy Ruff – $2,500,000
Ron Rolston – $600,000

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is owned by Norton Sports Entertainment, which also owns the Atlanta Flames and Atlanta Thrashers.

The Flames’ home arena is Scotiabank Saddledome. The team’s general manager is Jay Feaster.

NHL Coaches’ Salaries by Conference

NHL coaches make an average of $2.4 million per year, with the highest-paid coach, Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, earning $3 million per year. Coaches’ salaries vary widely by conference, with coaches in the Western Conference making an average of $2.7 million per year, while coaches in the Eastern Conference make an average of $2.1 million per year. Here is a breakdown of NHL coaches’ salaries by conference.

Eastern Conference

As of the 2019-2020 season, the average NHL head coach salary is $2.75 million per year. NHL coaching salaries range from $700,000 per year to $6 million per year. The following is a breakdown of NHL coaches’ salaries by conference:

Eastern Conference:
-Washington Capitals: $2.5 million
-Tampa Bay Lightning: $2.4 million
-Florida Panthers: $2.3 million
-Pittsburgh Penguins: $2.3 million
-Boston Bruins: $2.275 million
-New York Islanders: $2.25 million
-Montreal Canadiens: $2 million
-Buffalo Sabres: $1.85 million
-Carolina Hurricanes: $1.8 million
– Columbus Blue Jackets:$1.8 million
-New Jersey Devils:$1.7 million
-Philadelphia Flyers:$1.6 Million

Western Conference

In the Western Conference, the average salary for an NHL head coach is $2.6 million per year. The highest-paid coach in the conference is Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, who makes $3 million per year. The lowest-paid coach in the conference is John Stevens of the Los Angeles Kings, who makes $700,000 per year.

NHL Coaches’ Salaries by Division

NHL coaches’ salaries can vary widely depending on which division they coach in. For example, coaches in the Central Division generally make more than coaches in the Atlantic Division. This is because the Central Division is home to some of the most popular and successful teams in the NHL, such as the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.

Atlantic Division

In the NHL, the average salary for a head coach is $2.6 million per year. Coaches in the Atlantic Division make an average of $2.8 million per year. The highest-paid coach in the division is Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who makes $3 million per year. The division’s lowest-paid coach is John Hynes of the New Jersey Devils, who makes $2.4 million per year.

Metropolitan Division

The Metropolitan Division is one of the four divisions in the National Hockey League (NHL). The division was formed in 2013 as part of a realignment of the NHL’s Eastern Conference. It consists of the following teams:

-Carolina Hurricanes
-Columbus Blue Jackets
-New Jersey Devils
-New York Islanders
-New York Rangers
-Philadelphia Flyers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-Washington Capitals

Central Division

The Central Division of the NHL is made up of 7 teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets. Here is a breakdown of the average salary of each team’s head coach.

Chicago Blackhawks: $2.75 million
Colorado Avalanche: $2.13 million
Dallas Stars: $1.75 million
Minnesota Wild: $1.45 million
Nashville Predators: $1.8 million
St. Louis Blues: $2.35 million
Winnipeg Jets: $1.55 million

Pacific Division

The Pacific Division is made up of the following teams: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

The average salary for a head coach in the Pacific Division is $2.4 million. The highest-paid coach in the division is the Los Angeles Kings’ Darryl Sutter, who makes $3 million per year. The lowest-paid coach in the division is the Vancouver Canucks’ Willie Desjardins, who makes $1 million per year.