Welcome back to WDYTS, the only hockey column on the internet that is still one of the least awkward places to see your own name online.

Speaking of awkward, you find us in an awkward moment. As many of you know, these columns are prepared a little earlier in the week and are usually published on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or sometimes Sundays! For this week, that means that some of you will be reading these words on the cusp of the Trade Deadline, some of you will be reading them on it, and some of you will be reading them in the aftermath.

So, it’s a little too late to ask you to predict anything for deadline day. But it’s also too early to ask you for your review of what went down. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that next week. For now, however, we’re taking the opportunity to bust out of our current timeline a bit and cast our eyes way toward the future.

Let’s talk about the team scoring race. Whether one realizes it or not, and whether one really wants to call it a race, there is a bit of a contest for who leads the Canucks in scoring in 2025-26, with departed players excluded. Currently, it’s Elias Pettersson with a scant 35 points, but Filip Hronek is close behind with 32. Jake DeBrusk comes in at third with 29, and we don’t really need to go on from there.

Don’t worry, we’re not asking about this scoring race. Just listing the top three was sad enough.

But the nice thing about sports is that there’s always next year. So, what about next year’s team scoring race? From where we’re sitting, it looks like a fairly wide-open field.

But what about from where you’re sitting?

This week, we’re asking you:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You answered below!

Hah! we better be! Since we’ll be drafting so high this year and next, let’s optimistically say our first this year and next will make their Olympic rosters.

Honestly, I don’t know and am not concerned whether they will be better represented in France than in Italy. I didn’t watch one Olympics game in 2026 and I’m not going to watch one in 2030 either. I’m here for NHL hockey and that’s IT.

Considering we’re supposed to be in a rebuild, chances are high we have less representation. I’m not 100% certain EP40, Hronek, and Lankinen will still be here. I’m certain the others…Blueger, Kampf, Ravinskis, and Reichel won’t be. As for our prospects…Willander and maybe Öhgren might, but I doubt any of the others make it…that includes any we draft this or next season. I doubt we select Stenberg.

Unless they luck out with some draft picks, it’s possible the Canucks have less representation in 2030 than they had this year. Buium could find a spot with Team USA if he keeps developing. Maybe Willander with Sweden, but I bet EP 40 won’t be on the next Olympic squad, and maybe Lankinen won’t make the Finnish roster.

I don’t see the Canucks being better represented in 2030. I’d guess they’ll have three: Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and…Gavin McKenna. (Yes, I’m calling a draft lottery win.)

Sure, if they draft 30 players from France, Latvia, Norway, Denmark, and Switzerland, they’ll have at least 30 players at the Olympics in 2030.

No.

My guess is there will be two. Ravinskis and Sansonnens. The only other is potentially Buium, but there is an awfully long list he would have to climb.

Only if they add the country of Team Kitten.

The official (optimistic) prediction is ten participants (though not all of them will still necessarily be Canucks by then.) That’s Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, Anri Ravinskis, and Lukas Reichel back from the current Olympians, plus Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Liam Öhgren, Aatu Räty (still a believer), Basile Sansonnens, and, yes, the first selection the Canucks make in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Honestly, there’s an outside chance Teddy Blueger is still playing some good hockey by then, so maybe add him to the list, too.

Mostly, this all serves as a good reminder of how long four years will be in the sport of hockey.

The Canucks were already well represented at the Olympics, just not on any of the good teams.

My guess is that they have fewer Olympians next time around but hopefully better players overall.