It will be a slightly quieter week in the NHL as the league is shutting down for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday although 43 games have been crammed into the four active nights in the schedule. The highlight for many hockey fans will be the start of the World Junior Championship on Boxing Day. For 10 glorious days, the best young talent in the world will be on display competing at the highest level. Whether you are in leagues with developmental squads or simply keeping track of prospects to draft down the road, there is no substitute for doing your own scouting. If you are simply a fan of the game, this is truly one of the great tournaments in all of sports.

As for who’s hot and who’s not, here are the teams with seven or more wins in their last 10 games:

• Washington – Eight wins
• Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Toronto – Seven wins

Teams with three or fewer wins include:

• Boston
• Detroit
• New Jersey
• Edmonton
• San Jose (one win)

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some waiver options this week.

Check out today’s Breakaway NHL contest from FanDuel

Center

Vincent Trocheck (FLA): 53% Owned
Trocheck has been easing his way back into form after an early injury this year. His stat line of 18 points (and only five goals) in 28 games is close to his 50+ point pace from earlier seasons but well off his 75 point production a couple of years ago. Florida has shaken the lines up recently and Trocheck is currently listed as the second-line center with superstar Jonathan Huberdeau and hot hand Noel Acciari. This is the fifth highest-scoring team in the league and Trocheck’s track record indicates he will catch fire at some point this year.

Nicholas Suzuki (MON): 5% Owned
Suzuki was a key piece in the Max Pacioretty trade with Vegas and is showing signs of fulfilling the promise Montreal saw in him. He’s been more of a factor lately, although his three-point output in the last seven games isn’t indicative of his play. His ice time is up to 14:42 per game now and he’s also seeing time on the number one power-play unit, so he’s a candidate to start displaying his offensive talent (328 points in 251 OHL games).

Left Wing

Lawson Crouse (ARI): 21% Owned
Crouse is a hitter, averaging three per game while posting 49 shots in 34 games. He only has 10 points to show for his efforts so far, but Arizona has improved the talent around him significantly with the additions of Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall this year. He was drafted 11th overall and will be given every opportunity to ride shotgun as a talented power forward on a vastly improved team.

Andre Burakovsky (COL): 38% Owned
Acquiring Burakovsky may end up being one of the shrewder moves Joe Sakic has made as the Avalanche GM, moving a second and third-round pick as well as a minor league prospect for the promising winger. He could never seem to break out in Washington’s deep lineup, but after their formidable first line, the Avalanche had a few spots open for audition. Burakovsky has nailed down a role on the second line with underrated forwards Nazem Kadri and Joonas Donskoi. With 24 points in 33 games, he’s off to his best start ever and should be a safe play going forward.

Right Wing

Vladimir Tarasenko (STL): 63% Owned
This is a long term stash play as Tarasenko is not slated to return until late March. Once your fellow owners are shaking off the holiday cobwebs, Tarasenko might not last very long as a free agent. As someone who’s hit 33 goals or more five times in his career, he could be a difference-maker for your team once he returns.

Kaapo Kakko (NYR): 37% Owned
Kakko actually had many scouts and pundits touting him as the best prospect in this year’s draft, and many Ranger fans seemed just as happy to have him join the team vs. Jack Hughes. Both youngsters have had some trouble scoring early on, which is understandable. Kakko is only 18 years of age but already plays a mature style at six feet, three inches and 200 pounds. If he continues to play 15+ minutes per game he could start filling the net at any time.

Defense

Mark Borowiecki (OTT): 40% Owned
Another guy who hits more than he scores (148 hits to date), Borowiecki has an unprecedented 14 points already. That’s a career-high. He’s averaging over one shot per game and is +4. He also clobbered a guy breaking into a car before a recent game in Vancouver and retrieved the stolen goods (while he was shopping for baby clothes). If you like having guys on your team that are easy to cheer for, here’s one.

John Marino (PIT): 12% Owned
Marino joined the Penguins out of college this year as a long shot to stay with the club. His stats at Harvard were solid at best, but he already has 15 points in 34 games and is an impressive +13. To see a rookie defenseman averaging over 20 minutes per game is unusual but Marino looks like the real deal.

Goalie

Mike Smith (EDM): 25% Owned
It’s a toss-up whether Smith or Mikko Koskinen is the number one goalie in Edmonton. Koskinen has played more games and has better stats, but Smith is famous for his hot streaks and the Oilers could definitely get on board with a hot goalie these days. He’s a roll of the dice, but could win you a few games down the road.

Sleeper

Robby Fabbri (DET): 11% Owned
It’s tough to suggest any Red Wings if you count +/- as a stat (Detroit is -68 as a team), and Fabbri is already -20. If that isn’t a stat, he does have 17 points in 30 games, including nine goals. He’s also playing on the second line and averaging almost 15 minutes per night. He scored 171 points in 147 OHL games and also posted 15 points in the 2015-16 playoffs (in 20 games) for the Blues. Health has always been his issue but this is a very talented forward with a fresh start.

Sheldon Curtis is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive and follow him @sheldon_curtis.