one would think if they were going to cancel the shares, they would have done it by now
No, one who understands how bankruptcy actually works would KNOW that cancellation of the shares occurs at the END, not a second before.
There is a specific process that must be followed. Once all the assets are sold and cash received, it is then disbursed in legal order. All the remaining debt that is unpaid is then discharged, and THEN all equity is cancelled as only then is it official that there is nothing left for them.