NHL players we want to see more of in the last two weeks: A pick for each team

The NHL’s regular season is winding down, with some fan bases now squarely focused on playoff matchups ahead of the postseason kicking off April 20 and others on positioning for the June 28 and 29 draft.

But with teams having between five and seven games remaining, there’s plenty of reason to keep an eye on what’s happening on the ice as well as in the standings.

Whether it’s a prospect getting an NHL look or increased minutes to see where he’s at heading into the offseason or a veteran trying to shore up a spot in a playoff rotation, here is the player for each team who should be getting a good look over the final two weeks.

Olen Zellweger: Lukáš Dostál is already getting a long look, having received the bulk of starts in goal over the past few weeks. And we’d say Cutter Gauthier except he’s still trying to win an NCAA title with Boston College and isn’t signed yet. So the answer here is Zellweger, who was focused on his defensive game when he was brought up from AHL San Diego for good and is now diving into the offensive side that made him so dynamic at lower levels. The 20-year-old followed up scoring his first NHL goal by having a three-assist night this week against Calgary in a return to his hometown. Let’s see if Greg Cronin will give him (and the other youngsters) some first-unit duty on the power play. Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov are showing that they are the future of the Anaheim defense. — Eric Stephens

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Josh Doan: After he scored 46 points in 62 games for AHL Tucson, the Coyotes promoted Doan near the end of March. He made a splashy NHL debut: two goals, including the winner, in a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jackets. He followed that up with a two-assist performance against the Predators, had an assist in Game 3 against the Rangers and then finally came up dry in Game 4 against the Canucks. The Coyotes are managing Doan’s NHL transition carefully — he played 14 AHL games last season after completing his sophomore year at Arizona State — but he’s 22, physically maturing, and looks capable of playing more than the third-line minutes he’s getting now (13:31 per game through Thursday) as the Coyotes play out the string. — Eric Duhatschek

James van Riemsdyk: There’s no questioning van Riemsdyk’s touch around the net, especially on the power play. Coaches like to have veterans like the 34-year-old in the lineup during the playoffs. But van Riemsdyk has struggled to keep up with the pace of play. There’s no sense in keeping him in the lineup if he can’t get to where he needs to be. The stretch run will determine whether he can get his timing right for Game 1. — Fluto Shinzawa

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Zach Benson: The Sabres have already promoted JJ Peterka to the top line, so they’re getting a look at what he could be as their top left wing….