Crazy NHL 2023-24 Trivia Question!

[Pengwin7]

If you know - just say "I know"...

Question for those that definitively do NOT know.
Take TWO guesses.
Who are the NHL's top two forwards for "total shifts taken" during this season (2023-24)?

[I could not believe the answers are what they are.... I find it mind-blowing... but interesting... have to talk with some fans and get intel on the "why".]
[Small, not-surprising, hint. Neither guy has missed a game this season.]


I'll posts some "NOPE"s after each set of guesses.
We'll see how many 2-guess posts there are before somebody hits one.

[2014olympicgold]

Holy I never would have guessed. My two guesses weren't even in the top 10.

Here's the link to the rankings

[Pengwin7]

Well... you are supposed to make your guess public... and make the list grow!
I get to say "nope" to each post! (assuming it is wrong)

[2014olympicgold]

Well... you are supposed to make your guess public... and make the list grow!
I get to say "nope" to each post! (assuming it is wrong)

Ah my bad. My guesses were Mac and Suzuki

[PenguinHunter]

I'll Play...

Information I factor in from P7 post.

a) It is not a Flyer because P7 would not have to be asking for fans from another team for information on why these players.
b) It is not someone we would expect because that is the tone of the original post - so I am eliminating the TRULY ELITE.
c) middle of the pack team. high teams would likely have more wins locked up and play shutdown lines more. lower teams would run lines being out of more games early. middle of pack teams would need their guys out their more often.


My first set of guesse is

1) Anze Kopitar
2) Bo Horvat

[Pengwin7]

Nope
Nope

a) True
b) True
c) If we separate NHL teams, by standings, into thirds... then NEITHER player is on a "middle of pack" team

Nope
Nope

[loppantorkel]

My first thought, given it's someone unlikely, was a face-off specialist, like Luke Glendening, but Tampa likely doesn't need him to take extra face-offs, so maybe a very young team with a veteran C..? Not sure if that would be a thing.

1) Ryan O'Reilly - excellent face-off guy in a team without many others, from what I know, in a play-off hunting team. I checked if he played all 82 games, and he did, so he's a possible candidate.

[Eskimo Brother]

When I initially read the post my first thought was, oh man this has to be Mo Seider and someone else. I've got this.
And then the other guesses were forwards. I mean who doesn't know that defencemen play so many more minutes and shifts than forwards?
Everyone knows that... It's just me that can't read, that's the issue.

Well, onto the guesses. Aside from the players already named, here's who came to mind for me as I ran through the teams:
Matthews, Point, Miller, Crosby, Ovechkin, Kaprizov, Horvat, Nelson, McDavid, Reinhart, Robertson, Scheifele, Kadri, Backlund, ROR.
Good mix of guys here, and none would surprise me too much to find at the top, but I have a feeling that it has to be someone on both the PP and the PK, because you would end up with a lot more total shift numbers that way, because of extra shifts starting and ending quickly with a goal scored. It isn't just total minutes in a game, though that does factor in too.
I'm going to vote ROR and Robertson, because both have been excellent this year, play all kinds of roles meaning all kinds of shifts, and I believe both have played the full season.

[Bubba55]

I have no idea and I'm not going peak ... (:

I'll guess Batherson and Pavelski

[Eskimo Brother]

Quick edit seeing P7's hint about neither player being on a "middle-third" team, I'm going to flip from ROR to Kadri, because the Flames are bottom-10, needed him all year, didn't have depth, and were just overall bad for a while just throwing out whoever was playing well.

- - - Updated - - -

Going to check now.

[Eskimo Brother]

Man, the top guy was one that I thought about listing and then was like "nah, he missed a couple games at some point this year, can't be him...". Huh.
Also two guys that were on my WHL team last year.

[Pengwin7]

The two players have not been mentioned to this point.

Hints:
*One has done point-per-game multiple times in his career. But he is now age 36. He is a center on a non-playoff team. (though he is often referenced on "Wing" in fantasy platforms... which is really, really inaccurate.) 2100+ shifts!!! Most by a forward.
*One did point-per-game for first time in his career this year. He is age 25. His 7 NHL seasons: 35pts, 33pts, 32pts, 30pts... 73pts, 73pts, 83pts (this season). He is a winger on a non-playoff team. He has 2052 shifts (82gp).

For reference, 3rd most shifts is JT Miller (VAN) @ 2028.
He may take 24+ shifts tonight... that'd be approx. pace.

[pmorrow]

I haven't looked at the replies, so my guesses are...

Sean Monahan
Alex Kerfoot

[PenguinHunter]

Okay eliminating the middle third of teams.

Nico Hischier and Brad Marchand

[RizzeeDizzee]

The names that came to me were Horvat and Zibanejad