Nashville Predators' Juuse Saros is the hardest working man in NHL, but is the workload too much?

He works hard for his money.

And the Nashville Predators want to treat him right.

Goalie Juuse Saros has put in almost an honest week's work this season — if his time were calculated by the hour of the layman.

By NHL standards, though, the 36.5 hours he has spent on ice has been more akin to a bottle of fine champagne. Saros, who recently was selected to his first All-Star game, has played more minutes — 2,191 and 2 seconds — than anyone in the league.

And it's not even close for the man who signed a four-year, $20 million contract before this season.

He's played more than 100 minutes more than the next closest player.

He has faced almost 100 more shots — 1,178 — than any other goalie. His 1,092 saves are more than 100 more than anyone else.

His .927 save percentage is first in the league for those at the position who have played at least 30 games. His 23 victories are second. His 2.36 goals-against average is fifth.

His .856 save percentage on high-danger shots is fourth among those who have played at least 1,500 minutes.

With all that time, and all those numbers, Saros has been money for the Predators (27-14-4, 58 points). But has the season been too taxing on him? Will that hurt come playoff time for a man who has never shouldered such a workload?

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Not according to coach John Hynes.

"Not at this time," he said when asked whether he was concerned about the big minutes. "We're good."

A big reason for Hynes' response, other than his faith in his 26-year-old goalie, lies in the truth in the numbers.

Yes, the Predators allow a lot of shots, but the quality doesn't match the quantity.

That doesn't mean Saros doesn't come up big when it counts.

"Pucks on net is a big thing in this league," forward Matt Duchene said. "A lot of shots we give up from the outside. I know he's playing a lot of minutes. He's in great shape. He works hard. He can handle it. He's young."

The Predators also lead the league in penalty minutes, which puts added stress on a goalie. That wasn't lost on Duchene.

It's not lost on the Predators, either.

His 89.65 save percentage in short-handed situations is fourth in the league among those with at least 30 games played.

"That's something we've addressed," Duchene continued. "That needs to be lightened for him. "

The reason is simple.

Duchene stated it.

"There's probably 10-15 shots from the outside that are uncontested. I don't think it's too strenuous, but at the same time we want to take care (the penalties)," he said. "He's been our MVP this year so far, and we want to make sure we're getting away from that."

Something that would come in handy come playoff time.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros' workload too heavy?