Full case file · Right Wing · Boston Bruins · Hockey

David Backes

216 of 302 games across four seasons of his $30M Bruins contract
Case open 86 career games missed
Estimated salary collected across every game missed, career-wide
$7,026,132
Sum of each season's base salary, prorated per game and multiplied by that season's games missed — from 2016-17 through 2020-21.
4 seasons tracked
86 of 302 expected games missed
$26,000,000 in base salary paid
= $7,026,132 earned inactive
Games played
216
of 302 possible
Games missed
86
28.5% of tracked span
Full seasons lost
0
played 0 games
Base salary, tracked span
$26,000,000
excludes bonuses, endorsements

Availability, tracked seasons

216 played (71.5%)
2016-17 86 expected games missed across 4 seasons 2020-21

The ledger, season by season

Base salary ÷ expected games that season × games missed that season. "Expected games" is the team's full schedule for position players, or a starting pitcher's typical rotation turns (~team games ÷ 5) — a healthy ace was never going to start 162 games either. Figures are approximate, sourced from public salary and game-log reporting.

Season Expected Played Missed Base salary Per game Collected inactive
2016-17
First Bruins season, mostly healthy
82 74 8 $8,000,000 $97,561 $780,488
2017-18
Limited by a mix of health issues, suspensions, and injuries
82 57 25 $8,000,000 $97,561 $2,439,024
2018-19
Colon surgery following a battle with diverticulitis
82 70 12 $6,000,000 $73,171 $878,049
2020-21
With Anaheim; limited to a fourth-line, healthy-scratch role
56 15 41 $4,000,000 $71,429 $2,928,571
Career total 302 216 86 $26,000,000 $7,026,132

Sources