The NHL has seen a recent surge in popularity, as the past season was its most-watched in decades.
The top teams from the biggest markets have emphasized coaching hires, and head coach salaries in the league have grown substantially. The highest-paid NHL coaches rake in high salaries compared to other major sports.
Todd McClellan leads all NHL coaches with his $5.5 million pay. McClellan coaches for the Kings. He’s been in Los Angeles since 2019 and has a record of 164-130-44.
His most successful coaching stint was with San Jose where he won over 300 games in eight years. McClellan was fired this January after a poor run of results, but the Kings still have to pay out his contract.
Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper brings in $5.3 million to land second on the list. Cooper is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach having been with the Lightning since 2013.
He’s taken them to four Stanley Cup Finals and won two. This includes their run of three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
Third on the list is New York’s Peter Laviolette. Laviolette earns $4.9 million to coach the Rangers.
With over 800 career wins, he’s the winningest American-born head coach in NHL history. He won the 2005-2006 Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes.
Jared Bednar comes in fourth on the highest-paid NHL coaches list. Bednar makes $4.5 million to lead the Avalanche. He’s been Colorado’s head coach for his entire career.
His 2021-2022 Avalanche squad ended the Lightning’s hopes of a three-peat by winning the Stanley Cup.
The fifth coach on the list is Bruce Cassidy of Vegas who earns $4.5 million to lead the Knights.
He spent most of his career on the East Coast with the Capitals and then the Bruins before heading out west.
In 2023, he led the Knights to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win after defeating the Panthers in five games.
McClellan is the only coach among the top five highest-paid coaches who’s never won a Stanley Cup. Only four coaches who don’t have a winning record over their coaching career made the list.
Ranking the Highest-Paid NHL Coaches
Here is the entire list of the highest-paid NHL coaches of 2024, among publicly reported salary figures. The list was compiled using data from Sportinglad, Hockeyzoneplus, and Hockey-Reference.
- Updated: June 1, 2024
| Rank | Coach | Team | Career Record | Stanley Cup Wins | Total Compensation |
| 1 | Todd McLellan | Los Angeles Kings | 598-412-134 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2 | Jon Cooper | Tampa Bay Lightning | 525-279-75 | 2 | $5.3 million |
| 3 | Peter Laviolette | New York Rangers | 807-526-25 | 1 | $4.9 million |
| 4 | Jared Bednar | Colorado Avalanche | 341-217 | 1 | $4.75 million |
| 5 | Bruce Cassidy | Vegas Golden Knights | 388-206-9 | 1 | $4.5 million |
| 6 | Peter DeBoer | Dallas Stars | 612-421 | 0 | $4.25 million |
| T-7 | Mike Babcock | Columbus Blue Jackets | 700-418-19 | 1 | $4 million |
| T-7 | John Tortorella | Philadelphia Flyers | 742-612-37 | 1 | $4 million |
| 9 | Paul Maurice | Florida Panthers | 869-736-99 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 10 | Craig Berube | St Louis Blues | 281-190 | 1 | $3.5 million |
| 11 | Martin St. Louis | Montreal Canadiens | 75-100 | 0 | $3 million |
| 12 | Rick Tocchet | Vancouver Canucks | 248-235 | 0 | $2.75 million |
| 13 | Rick Bowness | Winnipeg Jets | 310-408-48 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| T-14 | Rod Brind’Amour | Carolina Hurricanes | 278-130 | 0 | $2 million |
| T-14 | Jim Montgomery | Boston Bruins | 172-75 | 0 | $2 million |
| T-14 | Jay Woodcroft | Edmonton Oilers | 79-41 | 0 | $2 million |
| 17 | Luke Richardson | Chicago Blackhawks | 49-102 | 0 | $1.5 million |
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