Quinn Hughes just threw the Canucks under the bus, even if he didn't mean to

We've arrived at a night not many thought would come, as Quinn Hughes is set to make his return to Vancouver as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

Nobody had such a scenario on their bingo card when the season started, but enough time has passed for the blockbuster deal to have fully settled in. At least, Wild fans have come to accept that this is a wonderful reality they're living in while Canucks fans might be having a harder time.

That seemed evident when Hughes got in front of the local media for the first time since arriving in Minnesota.

Quinn Hughes tries not to throw the Canucks under the bus, but does it anyway

Hughes was asked by Canucks reporters about what the difference was between the two teams he's played on. It's a bit of a loaded question, but to his credit, Hughes tried to skate around it while still stating the obvious.

“[The Wild] is just a better team, I mean, you know that. Watching Vancouver, I love a lot of those guys, and it's competitive guys over there who want to do well," Hughes said. "It's just not where I'm sure they want to be and where I wanted it to be when I was there. But [Minnesota] is the third-best team in the league right now."

That's a little unfair of a question to ask, but it's also a reminder that folks in Vancouver still aren't happy about how things went down. It's not that anyone thinks Hughes forced his way out, or that there's hurt feelings about the way he left, rather the fact that the Canucks had one of the top players in the league and failed to build around him is the type of stuff that would anger any fan base.

Wild fans have lived that life for far too long, which is why the Hughes trade happening was such a shock. For years Minnesota had the right talent but didn't have the proper pieces on the board to truly compete, something that has completely changed even with the price paid to land Hughes.

It's actually refreshing to hear someone just bluntly answer a question like this that has such an obvious answer. Hockey players aren't known for being loquacious and cutting right to the bone like this has to be a little cathartic for Canucks fans still angry about where their team's at right now.

The future is bright, as guys like Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, and Liam Ohgren give the Canucks a chance for a do-over as far as building around promising talent, while the Wild have a guy it continues to be impossible to root against.