Rising and falling: Which NHL players can continue their hot pace?

There's no reason to think Celebrini will settle down. Don't be surprised to see him on Team Canada come Olympic time in February.

Falling: Morgan Geekie, forward, Boston Bruins

Geekie, signed by the Bruins in 2023 as a free agent, has been on a goal scoring tear to start 2025-26. After finishing last season with 33 goals, Geekie is on pace to blow past that total, with 24 goals in just 34 games already this season.

While there's no doubt Geekie has been a premier goal scorer the past two seasons, it's unlikely he continues his career-high 28.2 shooting percentage.

On pace for nearly 58 goals, if he regresses back closer to his 16.6 career shooting percentage and continues his 2.5 shot per game pace, he should score around 44 goals total for the season. Although still an impressive number, Geekie is a prime candidate for regression.

Rising: Martin Necas, forward, Colorado Avalanche

Sent to Colorado as a part of the Mikko Rantanen trade, the former Carolina Hurricane has fit perfectly on Nathan MacKinnon's wing. 

Necas scored 28 points in 30 games last season after being traded and currently has 45 in 33 in 2025-26. Recently, he signed a massive contract extension to stay in the Mile-High city. 

What makes Necas such a good fit with Colorado and why should he be expected to continue his pace? A big reason is his skating ability. According to NHL Edge, Necas' max skating speed of 23.24 mph ranks in the 95th percentile in the league while his 22+ mph bursts (13) and 20-22 mph bursts (136) rank in the 98th and 99th percentile.

Playing alongside MacKinnon, one of the NHL's fastest players, should lead anyone to believe Necas will keep up his big season.

Falling: Tyler Bertuzzi, forward, Chicago Blackhawks

Bertuzzi is the epitome of a grinder, going to the front of the net and digging out pucks in the corners for Chicago's young stars Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. With 16 goals and 26 points in 30 games, he's certainly enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

Bertuzzi could very well keep up his 40-plus goal pace, but with a season shooting percentage of 25 percent (10 points higher than his career average) and the long-term injury to Bedard, he's more likely than not to come back down to earth.

A third straight 20-goal season should be easily attainable but don't be surprised if he doesn't hit 30.