Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet that just took two weeks off and yet didn’t miss a single shift.

Speaking of shifts, there’s been a major one surrounding the Vancouver Canucks of late, and we don’t just mean the size of the shifts Quinn Hughes is taking every night. There’s also been a shift in how the team is being talked about, and that shift has been a positive one.

It’s not that anyone is leaning too hard into the optimism right now. As of this writing, they’re still three points out of a playoff spot, and the odds are against them making up the difference. But…still. The push they’re making to do so, in the face of some considerable adversity, is nothing short of admirable. And folks are taking notice.

That the Canucks are doing this – with a centre depth chart that starts with Pius Suter at the top and thins out from there, with two goalies and a captain clearly playing through injuries, with multiple players who spent the majority of the season in the AHL – is worthy of some celebration in and of itself. No fireworks or anything like that. Just a little bit of shouting out, the kind we’re kind of built to provide here at WDYTT.

There is no shortage of individuals who have stepped up to help power this playoff push through trying circumstances. There is Thatcher Demko, back from IR and seemingly back to his old Vezina-nominated self. There is Quinn Hughes, still not healthy and yet pulling down some 30 minutes a night. There’s Derek Forbort, who simply looks like a brand-new hockey player. There’s 1C Suter. There’s Kiefer Sherwood, back to that supposedly unsustainable goal-scoring pace from early in the year and right when the team needs it most.

It’s not that we really need to single out any one individual for praise or anything. It’s just that asking you to do so will probably lead to some good, light-hearted debate and discourse. Which is, again, what we’re all about here.

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

Last week, we asked:

You answered below!

Every single one of them.

Go, Canucks, Go!

The Canucks chances of winning have much more to do with their own focus than quality of opponent.

The Canucks are as unpredictable as one can imagine. I’m not confident there is any team they could defeat in a seven-game series. That said there is some possibility they could beat most playoff teams and win a series if healthy. Almost no chance they could stay focused long enough to win two series.

You are kidding, right? Canucks can’t beat any playoff teams.

I highly doubt the Canucks can beat Winnipeg or LA in a seven-game series, but Edmonton is highly beatable. It’s probably a moot point as the odds are seriously stacked against the Canucks. St. Louis has by far a much easier schedule and has been on a tear post- 4 Nations Cup. They are the team that NEEDS to be beaten…

I’m most confident the Canucks could beat their revenue targets in the first round, but hockey teams are another story.

I don’t see this team defeating any team come the playoffs. I don’t think they would get swept either. They might be able to play well enough to win a couple if Lankinen is hot. With that said though…one never knows how a series will unfold. A great regular season team can crash early if their goaltending lets them down. It’s happened many times before. The odds are not good, though.

The question would be more aptly put as “what team could self destruct, paving the way for the Canucks to win a round?”

And the answer is, as it has been for 10 years now, Edmonton.

Still don’t like the odds, but only Stuart Skinner likes beating the Oilers more than they like beating themselves.

None. There simply are no chances for this current roster to beat Winnipeg, Dallas, Vegas, Edmonton, or Colorado four times out of seven. None. They have one top-six centre, maybe two top-six wingers, three top-four D, and a goalie that’s had to play way above his grade to keep them in games. There’s no way this team can knock off any team in the first round. Actually, there is one. The opponent would have to come down with a flu bug so bad that they couldn’t ice a team.

Gracious! I’d need a 20-to-1 payout on the Nucks to beat any of the Coilers, Scars, Nights, or Gets before I squeezed a nickel outta my capris. In a world where we got a second round match up with Kings or Wild, then my hopes go up a tad.

We’ll see. I still don’t think they emerge from the three teams as the last wild card. No playoffs again.

Given St Louis’ schedule and recent hot streak, I am confident the Canucks won’t make the playoffs. If they make it, I think they would most likely lose in the first round. Which team am I most confident the Canucks could beat in Round One if they get there and are capable of beating anyone? I would say Edmonton or Colorado or LA. Edmonton’s playing a little cool right now and their goaltending can be a weakness. The Canucks have matched up quite well against Colorado this year, and I am not convinced about their goaltending either. In a defensive battle against L.A., the Canucks may have a chance.