Every Monday, NHL.com contributor Matt Sitkoff identifies waiver-wire pickups, roster trends, schedule notes and a prospect to watch in fantasy hockey.

The Los Angeles Kings visit the White House on Monday to celebrate winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons in 2014. But entering the week the Kings are on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, three points behind the Calgary Flames for the second Western Conference wild-card spot. But the Kings always save their best for the end.

Some players to keep an eye on that traditionally turn up their play as the season goes on are center Anze Kopitar and defenseman Alec Martinez. Kopitar led the Kings in points in games played after Feb. 1 in 2013-14 (27 points in 26 games) and 2011-12 (32 points in 32 games). Martinez had a combined 25 points in games after Feb. 1 in the Kings' championship seasons.

In this week's edition of fantasy hockey's "Hot Topics," I'll be suggesting five players that need to be owned in far more leagues for the remainder of this season. Let's jump right into the discussion.

1. David Perron, Pittsburgh Penguins, LW/RW -- owned in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues

Why isn't Perron's ownership higher? Do people realize he got traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Penguins? That he's playing on the top line with Sidney Crosby? And receiving tons of ice time on one of the NHL's top power-play units? Perron needs to be owned in just about every fantasy league. In 10 games with the Penguins he has six goals, three assists, 10 penalty minutes, three power-play points and 44 shots on goal (4.4 per game). While his minus-5 rating has been a disappointment since joining his new team, he's been a fantasy force in every other category.

Every Thursday during the season, NHL.com's Evan Sporer will provide you with in-depth analysis of goaltenders. From updated weekly top-30 rankings to trending players and more, Sporer will be your go-to guy for advice on fantasy goalies all season long.

It wasn't just the individual records. It wasn't just the Stanley Cups. It wasn't just the international accolades, the sprawling saves in the crease or his ability to handle the puck outside of the blue paint.

Part of what made Martin Brodeur so great was that he was great consistently. From his rookie season, which he capped by winning the Calder Trophy in 1994, to around 2010, you knew what you were going to get from Brodeur: consistent excellence.

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey correspondent Brian Metzer will provide you with in-depth defensemen analysis. From updated weekly top 60 rankings to trending players and more, Metzer will be your go-to guy for fantasy blue line advice all season long.

The All-Star break is typically looked at as the halfway point of the season, but in reality most teams are already closer to 50 games played. With that in mind, it is time to start taking a hard look at your fantasy rosters and identifying areas you can shore up via trade and/or waiver wire pick-ups.

Believe it or not, you can find significant value this late in the season if you know where to look for it. There are players that might have dealt with injuries through the first half who are getting healthy, or those who will change zip codes via trade.

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey insider Pete Jensen will provide you with in-depth forward analysis. From updated weekly top 100 rankings to trending players and more, Jensen will be your go-to guy for fantasy forward advice all season long.

The All-Star break has come and gone, so let's officially drop the puck on the stretch run of the fantasy season with some trade talk.

Unless you take initiative on the trade front, your team won't change much the rest of the way as a result of waiver-wire pickups. For the most part breakout stars and hidden gems have been determined, as have the disappointments from whom you expected much more.

Fortunately there's still hope that pieces will fall into place leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2. With the proper strategy you could land players from around the League at discounted prices who could bring elevated value if/when they are dealt.

Every Monday NHL.com contributor Matt Sitkoff identifies waiver wire pickups, roster trends, schedule notes and a prospect to watch in fantasy hockey.

Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen was named the MVP of the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game, but what does that mean for his fantasy value for the rest of the season?

The last MVP in his home arena was Alexei Kovalev with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009. The rest of the 2008-09 season the Canadiens winger had 14 goals and 18 assists in 32 games. In 2011 Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp was MVP and followed that performance with eight goals and 17 assists in 25 games. The last All-Star Game played in Ottawa in 2012, the MVP was the New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik, who 16 goals and 21 assists in 35 games.

Every Thursday during the season, NHL.com's Evan Sporer will provide you with in-depth analysis of goaltenders. From updated weekly top 30 rankings to trending players and more, Sporer will be your go-to guy for advice on fantasy goalies all season long.

Three games played.

Entering this season, that encompassed Michael Hutchinson's NHL resume. The 24-year-old, former third-round pick of the Boston Bruins was entering his fifth year as a professional hockey player. The bulk of that time was spent in the Bruins organization, until Hutchinson signed as a free agent with the Winnipeg Jets following the 2012-13 season.

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey correspondent Brian Metzer will provide you with in-depth defensemen analysis. From updated weekly top 60 rankings to trending players and more, Metzer will be your go-to guy for fantasy blue line advice all season long.

John Klingberg wasn't an unknown commodity before the season, but no one could have predicted the way the fifth-round pick from the 2010 NHL Draft would kick off his career with the Dallas Stars.

The 22-year-old started the season with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and had four goals and eight points in 10 games. Couple that production with the fact he is a right-handed shot and general manager Jim Nill couldn't help but bring the defenseman to the NHL in early November.

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey insider Pete Jensen will provide you with in-depth forward analysis. From updated weekly top 100 rankings to trending players and more, Jensen will be your go-to guy for fantasy forward advice all season long.

Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom has never been selected to an NHL All-Star Game, but his fantasy value should never be questioned.

Backstrom appears on 25.2 percent of this season’s top 500 Yahoo public-league teams, the fourth-highest frequency among forwards behind Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nick Foligno of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Which one is not like the others? Backstrom was drafted on average with the 68th pick in Yahoo drafts, while the other three were taken well outside the top 100.

So Backstrom, 27, has met expectations, yet is still fueling fantasy teams around the globe in a similar fashion as those who have caught everyone by surprise. Sounds like a pretty valuable guy.

Every Monday, NHL.com contributor Matt Sitkoff identifies waiver wire pickups, roster trends, schedule notes and a prospect to watch in fantasy hockey.

The NHL's best will assemble in Columbus this week for the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game (5 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but some past all-stars will not be there and those players could give you fantasy value down the stretch.

Jason Spezza of the Dallas Stars is a two-time all-star (2008, 2012 for the Ottawa Senators) and his career points per game go from 0.97 before the All-Star Game to 1.09 points per game after the game.

The recent hot play of the Colorado Avalanche's Jarome Iginla should continue as he has 416 points in 440 games (0.95 points per game) after the All-Star Game.