Mike Babcock was made the richest coach in NHL history this year when was given that reported eight-year, $50 million contract by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only is that an absurdly long contract for any head coach, but at more than $6 million per year it’s millions of dollars more than his closest comparable.
New Flyers coach Dave Hakstol isn’t making that kind of money in Philadelphia, but he is being paid quite handsomely — especially when you consider other coach salaries around the league and the fact that Hakstol has never been involved with the National Hockey League in any capacity.
In fact, he’s being paid like he’s won a Stanley Cup.
In a great profile of Hakstol published Friday, the Daily News reported that the coach will earn $10 million over five years from the Flyers — a big raise from what he was earning as head coach at the University of North Dakota.
That salary, which averages out to $2 million per season, puts Hakstol in line with some of the NHL’s biggest named coaches. Alain Vigneault has the exact same contract with the Rangers a few years back. Before Babcock, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was the league’s highest-paid coach with an annual salary of $2.75 million per season.
TSN ran this graphic breaking things down earlier in the 2014-15 season.
Some updates are in order here. Babcock, obviously. Todd McLellan’s new deal with the Oilers is worth a reported $3 million per year over five years, and Dan Bylsma’s contract with the Buffalo Sabres is reportedly worth the same, so they both jump the line you see above. But this is still a good representation of what the top coaches get paid.
Hakstol’s right there in this group — right alongside long-time NHL coaches like Michel Therrien, Lindy Ruff and Peter Laviolette. John Tortorella is still getting paid by the Canucks on that contract. There are Cup winners on this list — in fact, every name you see above has won a Cup aside from Ruff, Therrien and Vigneault, who have all been to the Final as head coaches.
Dave Hakstol is not a Stanley Cup winner, but he’s being paid like the Flyers expect him to be one someday.
