By If you love sports and hockey in particular, I’m sure many of you are curious to know how much the NHL coaches get paid. The earnings that the coaches make annually are less talked about even though the coaches are the ones that bring out the best in each player. However, unlike the players, coaches don’t need to have their paychecks officially available for everyone to see.
Nonetheless, it is a well-known fact that NHL coaches earn between $1 million and 6 million dollars. The average pay scale comes down to between $2.5 million to $3 million. In this post, we have narrowed down the highest-paid coaches in the NHL.
Here are the 5 highest paid NHL coaches:
1. Todd McLellan ($5 million)
Born on October 3, 1967, Todd Andrew McLellan is a Canadian pro ice hockey coach and retired player. Currently, he serves as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was previously a head coach of the San Jose Sharks from 2008 to 2015 and Edmonton Oilers from 2015 to 2018, and also served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings 2005 to 2008), winning the Stanley Cup in 2008. As a player, McLellan was picked in 1986 by the New York Islanders but appeared in only five matches for the major league club in the 1989 to 1988 season before officially retiring the same season in the minors due to an injury. As of February 2023, McLellan is the highest-paid NHL coach with estimated annual earnings of $5 million.
2. Alain Vigneault ($5 million)
Alain Vigneault is a Canadian pro ice hockey coach. He was born on May 14, 1961. Vigneault formerly coached the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He also coached in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as well. During his stint with the Canucks, he received the Jack Adams Award and emerged as the NHL’s best coach of the year in 2006–07 and holds the squad’s record for most wins as a coach. While serving as a coach for the Vancouver Canucks, he won consecutive Presidents’ Trophies with the team and appeared in the Stanley Cup final for the last time. He also led the New York Rangers to their initial Stanley Cup final appearance in two decades during his first season as a coach.
3. Alain Nasreddine ($5 million)
Alain Nasreddine was born on July 10, 1975. His full legal name is Alain Jean-Paul Mohammed Nasreddine. He is a Canadian pro ice hockey coach and retired player. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). As a player, he was a defenceman in the NHL.
4. Mike Sullivan ($4.4 million)
Michael Barry Sullivan was born on February 27, 1968. He is an American pro ice hockey coach and a retired player. Currently, he serves as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). As a player, he was a 4th round choice, 69th overall at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. Sullivan spent 11 seasons in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and Phoenix Coyotes. Internationally, he appeared with the American National Squad two times, also including the 1997 World Championship.
5. Dallas Eakins ($4.3 million)
Born on January 20, 1967, Dallas Franklin Eakins is an American pro ice hockey coach and retired player. He currently serves as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has formerly served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL. Eakins is the fifth highest-paid NHL coach as of February 2023 raking in 4.3 million per year.
