NHL Coach Salaries: How much does an NHL Coach make?

Like other hockey fans, do you also wonder how much coaches make in the NHL? Yes? Then your research ends here. Despite this, coaches’ salaries aren’t officially published, making obtaining information challenging. Nevertheless, local reporters are the most reliable sources of information on a coach’s salary.

NHL head coaches make between $1 million to $5 million, with an average between $2.5 million and $3 million. It is a substantial sum of money that goes with the stress and inspection of the team, especially when the team is not performing well. Coaches’ salaries are guaranteed; even if they get fired, they will still get paid for the remaining contract period. Assistant coaches can earn six-figure salaries after the required training and experience; they can become head coaches.

To better understand NHL coach salaries, let’s take a closer look. Moreover, try to dive deep into who is the highest-paid NHL coach.

Coaches Salaries do not need to be Reported Publicly

The salaries of the NHL coaches are not made public, and people remain unaware of how much the coaches make while working with the NHL. Earlier in history, the players’ salaries were not disclosed. Later, after the players union was formed, they decided to make this information public.

The advantage of this was that the players had an idea of the salaries the NHL and the leagues were providing. When this was publicized, it forced the leagues to pay comparable salaries to all the players and be fair, resulting in a higher salary. But the coaches have still not followed this, and their salaries cannot be known officially. So, the primary source of this information is the local reporters or the coaches who sometimes let slip.

NHL Coaches Contracts are Guaranteed

There are 32 coaches in the NHL, and the coaches’ contracts are generally guaranteed. A guaranteed contract means that once a coach has signed an agreement with a team, he will receive his salary for the entire term he has signed for, even when he is fired. If he is hired and the period has not been completed, he will keep receiving the salary.

If a team fires a coach and another team wants to hire him, they will have to talk to the first team and negotiate with them. Since the coach is still receiving their salary, he is still under their contract. Generally, both teams share the total compensation among them.

NHL Coaches are Hired to be Fired

Due to high expectations, the NHL coaches do not last long with the teams. Most often, the coaches keep getting fired, which is why the guaranteed contracts are helpful for them.

When the coaches are fired, the teams hire an interim coach for the team. This duration is a trial period. If the coach’s performance is satisfactory during this team, he is employed as the head coach; otherwise, the team searches for another coach for the team. But how much salary do these interim coaches get? No idea because their pay has never been reported.

NHL Coaches Salary Tracker Year 2022-23

Let us look through a salary tracker of the NHL coaches. (source)

#	Team	Coach	Salary (2022-23)	Salary (2023-24)
1	Anaheim Ducks	Dallas Eakins	Unknown	Unknown
2	Arizona Coyotes	André Tourigny	Unknown	Unknown
3	Boston Bruins	Jim Montgomery	$2,000,000	$2,000,000
4	Buffalo Sabres	Don Granato	Unknown	Unknown
5	Calgary Flames	Darryl Sutter	Unknown	Unknown
6	Carolina Hurricanes	Rod Brind’Amour	Unknown	Unknown
7	Chicago Blackhawks	Luke Richardson	$1,500,000	$1,500,000
8	Colorado Avalanche	Jared Bednar	$2,250,000	$2,250,000
9	Columbus Blue Jackets	Brad Larsen	Unknown	Unknown
10	Dallas Stars	Peter DeBoer	$4,250,000	$4,250,000
11	Detroit Red Wings	Derek Lalonde	Unknown	Unknown
12	Edmonton Oilers	Jay Woodcroft	$2,000,000	$2,000,000
13	Florida Panthers	Paul Maurice	$3,900,000	$3,900,000
14	Los Angeles Kings	Todd McLellan	$5,000,000	$5,000,000
15	Minnesota Wild	Dean Evason	Unknown	Unknown
16	Montreal Canadiens	Martin St. Louis	$3,000,000	$3,000,000
17	Nashville Predators	John Hynes	Unknown	Unknown
18	New Jersey Devils	Lindy Ruff	Unknown	Unknown
19	New York Islanders	Lane Lambert	Unknown	Unknown
20	New York Rangers	Gerard Gallant	$3,500,000	$3,500,000
21	Ottawa Senators	D.J. Smith	Unknown	Unknown
22	Philadelphia Flyers	John Tortorella	$4,000,000	$4,000,000
23	Pittsburgh Penguins	Mike Sullivan	Unknown	Unknown
24	San Jose Sharks	David Quinn	Unknown	Unknown
25	Seattle Kraken	Dave Hakstol	Unknown	Unknown
26	St. Louis Blues	Craig Berube	$3,500,000	$3,500,000
27	Tampa Bay Lightning	Jon Cooper	Unknown	Unknown
28	Toronto Maple Leafs	Sheldon Keefe	Unknown	Unknown
29	Vancouver Canucks	Bruce Boudreau	$2,500,000	–
30	Vegas Golden Knights	Bruce Cassidy	$4,500,000	$4,500,000
31	Washington Capitals	Peter Laviolette	$4,900,000	–
32	Winnipeg Jets	Rick Bowness	$2,500,000	$2,500,000

NHL and Sports Coaches’ Salaries

In terms of money, the NHL is way behind other sports. Especially NHL coaches’ salaries are in lower spots than NFL and NBA top-tier coaches. Although the average head coach of these sports is almost equal, the NHL average range is $2.5 to $3 million, the NBA has a similar $3 million, and the NFL pays a $5.5 million average salary.

Speaking of head coach salaries for these sports, the NHL is far from other sports. NHL’s highest-paid coach’s yearly salary is $5 million, while NBA’s highest-paid coach makes $11 million in a year, and the NFL’s top salary-making coach takes $15 to $18 million annually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

This is all about the NHL coach’s salary. Their coaching contracts, average wage, contracts guarantee, secrecy, and comparison with other sports. All in all, it is explained here. I hope this helps you with your queries. If you have further questions, then drop a comment below.

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