The NHL has seen a recent surge in popularity, experiencing a massive viewership bump since the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The top teams from the biggest markets have emphasized coaching hires, and head coach salaries in the league have grown substantially. The exact figures, however, are not widely publicized and instead kept guarded by NHL franchises.
We do know the current rough compensation for the four top highest-paid coaches, though.
Mike Sullivan reset the NHL coaching market upon leaving the Penguins for the Rangers in May 2025. New York is reportedly paying Sullivan $6.5 million per year in a five-year deal worth $32.5 million combined, which is a record contract for an NHL coach. Performance bonuses could add several million to that base number.
Sullivan won back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh in 2015–16 and also 2016–17. He mutually parted ways with the Penguins after the 2024–25 regular season after Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for the third straight year. In his first season with the Rangers, the team finished last in the Metropolitan Division.
Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper brings in $5.3 million per year to land second on the list. Cooper is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, having been with the Lightning since 2013.
Cooper has taken the Lightning to four Stanley Cup Finals and won two in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning nearly pulled off a three-peat, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.
Colorado’s Jared Bednar comes in third on the list, reportedly earning “just under $5 million” annually. Bednar has been the Avalanche head coach for his entire career.
The fourth top salary belongs to a coach who isn’t on the bench anymore. Bruce Cassidy of Vegas earned $4.5 million annually to lead the Golden Knights. In 2023, Cassidy led the Knights to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win as they defeated the Florida Panthers in five games.
But Cassidy was unexpectedly fired at the end of the 2025–26 season with only eight games to go in the regular campaign. However, despite being replaced by veteran coach John Tortorella, he is still on Vegas’s payroll for the full amount until he takes another job in the NHL.
Ranking the Highest-Paid NHL Coaches
Here is the list of the highest-paid NHL coaches of 2026, among publicly reported salary figures. The list was compiled using data from Hockeyzoneplus and The Athletic.
- Updated: May 27, 2026
| Rank | Coach | Team | Annual Compensation |
| 1 | Mike Sullivan | New York Rangers | $6.5 million |
| 2 | Jon Cooper | Tampa Bay Lightning | $5.3 million |
| 3 | Jared Bednar | Colorado Avalanche | $4.9 million |
| 4 | Bruce Cassidy | Vegas Golden Knights | $4.5 million |
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