Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet named the most vowelable column for the fourth year in a row.

Speaking of the ooo’s and aaa’s, we must admit that the 2025-26 season has not exactly been the most thrilling of seasons for the Vancouver Canucks. This may go down as one of the worst performances in franchise history, but it was, indeed, a season of Canucks hockey all the same, and that means certain things.

That there was a team MVP, for one. Voting is underway for the Canucks’ year-end team awards as we palaver, and we always like to put out our own spin on them here at WDYTT.

Last year, when we talked Canucks’ 2024-25 MVP, we decided that we had to just go ahead and ask for the runner-up, because the runaway winner was Quinn Hughes. Well, now Hughes really is the runaway winner, and we’re still left in a very similar situation.

Here, now, a year later, the answer to the question of the Canucks’ 2025-26 MVP is almost as obvious as it was last season.

It’s Filip Hronek, right? It has to be.

Hughes’ former partner feels like as much of a slam-dunk for the honour as was Hughes. But we’re uncertain enough on a total consensus that we’ve left the query a little open-ended. And we thought it was safest to skip ahead to the runner-up this year, too, because that’s surely the more interesting debate. So, we’re wrapping them up into one question.

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

Last week, in our Schadenfreude Checkup, we asked:

You answered below!

Worst overall is a hard bar to lower. If we want to lift our gaze up from yet another Groundhog Day, this season looks good on the Leafs, unless they win another frickin’ lottery.

I’ll give you a winter prediction for Toronto: it’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last them for the rest of their lives.

The Laffs would be the other team. Hope they hire Gillis, ‘cause he will be Treliving 2.0 and extend their Cup drought.

If there was ever a no-brainer question, that’s it. THE LEAFS!

DeL:
The Rangers without a doubt.

The Leafs. The answer is always the Leafs. I watch a Bruins-Leafs game and wonder who I hate more and then I remember. It’s the Leafs. Somehow – unless they win the lottery and even then they’ll probably be just as bad next year and still have to give the Bruins a top pick – they are even worse than the Canucks. Just as poorly managed, but with even fewer prospects. It’s been nice to see them fall on their faces, too. At this point, I’m watching hockey out of spite, so I’d like to see the Red Wings, Kings, and Kraken miss the playoffs, watch the Oilers, Bruins, and Pens all get smoked in the first round, and generally want to see it all burn down.

I’d be careful to those gloating over Leaf misfortune. They have much higher chances of winning the draft lottery than we do (not talking about the official “odds” here, I am talking about how supposedly random things actually shake out in the hockey universe). Speaking for myself, I have enjoyed watching the never-say-die, heart-and-soul, heart-on-his-sleeve leader of the Rangers drag his teammates into the fight…for last place. Though I guess I should be careful as the Rangers are also known for having lottery balls bounce favorably too whenever they need a boost.

Ultimately though, I think the ultimate act of 2026 schadenfreude could still be on the horizon. It would be watching the Wild crash and burn out of the playoffs in the first round and seeing their newest prize defenceman, who just couldn’t wait to jump ship to a “winner,” taste the bitter agony of defeat yet again in a different sweater.

Hmm, other teams’ misfortunes. The only one that stands out in my mind is Toronto and I actually feel bad for Treliving because I think he did the right things, got some better D in Tanev and Carlo, got another puck moving D in OEL – which I’m sure wasn’t his first choice, but is what he could afford because Morgan Rielly really isn’t that great – and got some more beef and snarl up front with Knies, Roy, Laughton, and Joshua. But Tanev was hurt as usual, and Matthews went into a pout over losing Marner, apparently, and it didn’t work out this year, but I actually think that Keith Pelley has overreacted. The Leafs just can’t get it together and yes, that make everybody outside of Leafs Nation happy. I believe they should get rid of Auston Matthews and start over, but they still foolishly believe he’s a foundational piece …

Do you even need to ask??? It’s obviously the Leafs.

The self-proclaimed centre of the universe is imploding.

Any schadenfreude I might feel is more than offset by the fear that any of them will win the draft lottery and pick ahead of the Canucks. Tops in that category are CHI, NYR, FLA, TOR/BOS. Also in the mix are LAK and VGK, but they are less likely to be in the running for 1-OA. None of them are deserving of a top pick.

Calgary is a Canucks rival I normally like to see lose, but at least they are Canadian and more deserving of a good pick than the teams listed above, so I’m a bit sad when they win right now.

We must all stop this schadenfreude immediately or the hockey gods will surely give one of these “more fortunate teams” the draft lottery win…

Holding my schadenfreude till after the draft lottery. Good vibes to everyone.