LeBrun: What I’m hearing about NHL’s upcoming free-agent coaches after the Jared

Jared Bednar’s contract extension didn’t generate nearly as much attention as it probably deserved last week.

Which no doubt is fine for the reigning Stanley Cup-champion coach, who’s not one to seek the spotlight.

But for the coaching fraternity, which has been trying to hold some of its pre-pandemic gains in salaries, it’s a significant contract.

The rise in coaches’ salaries can really be traced back to Mike Babcock’s eight-year, $5.875 million annual deal signed in Toronto in May 2015 — a contract, by the way, which finally expires this June 30.

Todd McLellan really helped his brethren, too, first signing a five-year deal worth $3 million per year in Edmonton in May 2015, which was a big deal for a lot of coaches with similar experience, and then following that up with a five-year deal worth around $5 million per year in Los Angeles in April 2019.

Then the pandemic came, and it made sense for some clubs, with lower revenues, to push back a bit.

But overall, it’s believed NHL head coach salaries have gone up around 20 percent over the past five years. The average head coach salary was at about $2.6 million at the beginning of this season.

And that doesn’t count extensions signed by Bednar in Colorado and Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh, which won’t kick in until the 2024-25 season. Bednar’s new deal is worth just under $5 million a year (he’s making $2.1 million this season and will make $2.3 million next season), and Sullivan’s will pay him around $5.5 million a year.

Currently, Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay is the highest-paid coach at around $5.3 million a year.

Other significant deals last summer included Bruce Cassidy getting five years at a $4.5 million salary in Vegas, John Tortorella getting four years at a $4 million salary in Philadelphia and Pete DeBoer four years at a $4.25 million salary in Dallas. Those guys were all free agents when they signed.

What’s also interesting is seeing coaches like Sullivan, Bednar and Don Granato in Buffalo all sign new deals so far out. Sullivan signed his extension last summer when he still had two years left on his deal. Granato signed last fall when he still had this year and next on his current deal. And Bednar signed almost 16 months before his current deal expires.

That’s a trend that no doubt makes the NHL Coaches’ Association happy, as far as security and term for its coaches.

Darryl Sutter in Calgary also signed a two-year extension back in October (his current deal was expiring after this season), which brings him through the 2024-25 season. And of course Rick Tocchet came on board in Vancouver in January on a three-year deal paying him $2.75 million per season.

And so we are down to three coaches on expiring deals after this season:

• Dallas Eakins, Anaheim
• Peter Laviolette, Washington
• Lindy Ruff, New Jersey

Ruff could be a Jack Adams Award finalist this season. It would be deserved. Ruff’s patience in developing the Devils’ young core is bearing…