Week eight in fantasy hockey is starting, and some players are emerging as must-own players in many leagues. Finding players on the waiver wire is essential to winning a fantasy hockey and for replacing injured players, either for the short-team or long run. Let’s take a look at which players you should be targeting on the waiver wire this week.

Jimmy Hayes | Florida Panthers | Yahoo! Ownership- 2%

Jimmy who? It’s fair to say not many fantasy owners know who Hayes is, but they are starting to find out. The 25-year-old Boston native has nine points (4G, 5A) in 12 games with a plus-5 rating and 30 shots on goal (SOG).  The second round pick in 2008 has three power play point s– one power play goal — and is averaging a respectable 13 minutes per game. He’s doing all this while playing on the third line with Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Trocheck, but expect that to change as the season goes on. The time is now to add the winger. Don’t sleep on him.

Who I’d drop for him:  Vincent Lecavalier (12%), Brad Boys (4%), Mats Zuccarello (43%)

Cody Eakin | Dallas Stars | Yahoo! Ownership- 3%

The kid from Winnipeg is starting to make his mark in the NHL. The former third round pick in 2009 has nine points (4G, 5A) in 18 games with a plus-3 rating and 40 SOG. Eakin finds himself playing between two of the NHL’s best—Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, so his point production should increase dramatically in the next few weeks.  The 23-year-old is seeing some time on the second powerplay unit, and is seeing a healthy 16 minutes of ice time per game. The only risk with Eakin is the chance he loses his center spot to Jason Spezza, but for now, it seems like Dallas isn’t going to take him off that top line.  He’s worth adding in deeper leagues, and may become a must own in a few weeks, so the time is now to get him cheap.

Who I’d drop him for: Michael Ryder (7%), Alexander Semin (43%), Evgeny Kuznetsov (41%)

John Klingberg | Dallas Stars | Yahoo! Ownership- 13%

If you asked fantasy owners two weeks ago who Klingberg was, no one would be able to tell you. Ask them again today, and most of them know exactly who he is. The kid is the must add player of the week for fantasy owners who still need help on defense.  The 22-year-old has six points (2G, 4A) in seven games with a plus-3 rating and eight SOG. The points are there for the Swedish defenseman, and slowly the shots will come too. The fifth round pick in 2010 has taken the spot of veteran defenseman Alex Goligoski on the first power play unit, and it could be a permanent change. The rookie has an enormous amount of potential, and is definitely trending upwards in the fantasy world. One thing is for sure—Klingberg should be added to every lineup before every fantasy owner discovers him and it becomes too late.

Who I’d drop for him: Alex Goligoski (65%), Jake Gardiner (29%), Ryan McDonagh (77%), Brian Campbell (55%)

Elias Lindholm | Carolina Hurricanes | Yahoo! Ownership- 9%

Lindholm is another great pickup that could become fantasy relevant by mid season. The fifth overall pick in 2013 has ten points (6G, 4A) in 20 games with a minus-3 rating and 43 SOG.  The 19-year-old won’t rack up the penalty minutes — he only has one minor penalty so far — but has two power play points and three game winning goals (GWG).  He’s skating on the second line with Nathan Gerbe and Riley Nash, but with Alexander Semin being a complete disappointment so far this season, it’s safe to say Lindholm will find his way onto the top line with Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty. When that happens, expect to see the points rack up. His plus minus will not wow anyone considering Carolina is one of the worst teams defensively in the league (ranked 24^th in GA per GP), but that may be the only thing against the Swedish born player, and that shouldn’t keep fantasy owners away from him. Add him with confidence and wait for the results to come.

Who I’d drop for him : Dustin Brown (40%), Tommy Wingels (31%), Carl Hagelin (22%)

Players to Watch:

It’s still early in the season, but these players should be on the rise/decline in the next few weeks

Trending up:

Sean Couturier | Philadelphia Flyers | Yahoo! Ownership- 5%

Alex Killorn |Tampa Bay Lightning | Yahoo! Ownership- 5%

Lars Eller | Montreal Canadiens  | Yahoo! Owndership- 3%

Trending Down:

Antti Niemi | San Jose Sharks | Yahoo! Ownership- 93%

Thomas Vanek | Minnesota Wild | Yahoo! Ownership- 80%

Gabriel Landeskog | Colorado Avalanche | Yahoo! Ownership- 86%