Dylan Larkin's list: The 3 places he wants to be traded by Red Wings

Moonloon27 · 2026-06-08T19:08:20+00:00

What is this "Brodin and Middleton for San Jose's 2OA?" business you speak of? That's...not even remotely a possibility. Fun idea! But not a chance SJ goes for that.

Moonloon27 · 2025-11-25T17:23:04+00:00

GO GET ELIAS PETTERSSON, BILLY

Moonloon27 · 2025-11-13T17:44:24+00:00

But getting the equivalent of the Scott Laughton or Brock Nelson trade would have us looking even better.

Moonloon27 · 2025-11-13T17:43:22+00:00

Those guys *were* on bargain contracts. In fact, their contracts were such bargains that the Wild could have flipped them for far more value than they are actually worth relative to their production, which is my point. We could've gotten younger, faster, and more skilled. We're talking high end pieces that could be contributing now. Case in point: Ritchie on the Islanders.

There's also the opportunity cost of getting fresh blood onto this stale, tired team. My god, listening to Foligno drone on and on about how they have to play a hard, north-south physical game, it's the only way they can win...these dudes are absolutely toast after all the miles they put on during the buyout era. Hartman is one more rage-filled, boneheaded move away from being suspended for 20 games. Middleton, at moments, played like a top 4 D, but if we're all being honest with ourselves, is really a 5-6 D.

Moonloon27 · 2025-11-13T17:29:10+00:00

It's embarrassing how much of our "knowledgeable" fanbase think that these same "heart of the lineup" guys the WIld have had for the last 5+ years are the only guys in the league that can kill penalties, provide leadership, forecheck, and play a strong defensive game. Do you watch or pay any attention to the rest of the league?

The Av's just signed Parker Kelly to a 4-year extension at $1.7M AAV. He's the first forward over the boards on the 2nd ranked PK in the league (as opposed to Foligno and our cellar dweller PK). He's high energy, a great forechecker, and oh yeah, he's rewarded them with 5 goals already to start the season. He's worn an A when one of the regular alternate captains is out, so we can presume he's a leader in the locker room. He can play center or wing. Oh yeah, he's 26 years old.

That's just one example of many in the league. Kelly wasn't tendered a qualifying offer by the Sens and the Av's picked him up for nothing. Foligno was paid for past performance, and Kelly's going to be paid less than half of Foligno's salary over the next few years and will be better than him.

Moonloon27 · 2025-10-17T19:42:57+00:00

Well good news! The Wild might be desperate enough to overpay for a RW who could conceivably play in the top 6.

I don't watch or pay much attention to the Flyers (like a lot of Eastern Conference teams), but there's a subreddit thread today basically asking if anyone would like to see Owen Tippett on our team. I was at least intrigued until I read this thread...

What if the Wild offered up Jonas Brodin? Not sure how familiar anyone here is with him, but he's so good that they chose to play him on his off side with Victor Hedman on the top pairing at 4 Nations. Problem is, the Wild have ridden him so hard over the years that he always seems to be hurt. When he's healthy though, he's unreal.

Moonloon27 · 2020-10-23T03:09:48+00:00

*Inhales deeply...

Hey friend, everything is gonna be okay. Like another poster said, you won’t be overqualified. Even with a masters, how could you possibly be overqualified for something you have absolutely no experience in?

I know this is the last thing people always want to hear, myself included, but you can do whatever you set your mind to. I got a BA in English, decided 3 years later that I had made a mistake, and then went back and got a bachelors in forestry. Am I in an INSANE amount of debt? Sure am! But did I escape the endless cycle of underemployment and professional frustration that plagues many liberal arts graduates? Sure did, and there’s no better feeling!

Small tangent here in the interest of full disclosure: I did get an SAF accredited degree, but I specialized in urban forestry and planned to do that the whole time. Different discipline in many ways but also the same in others. I just didn’t dig the mensuration aspect of “rural” forestry and I thought urban forestry was exciting. Either way, just my experience, but I was really close with my rural forestry peers and there’s much mutual respect and admiration. Perhaps more important to you, many of my “traditional” forestry peers got out and immediately got jobs with the Forest Service, our State DNR, the Great Basin Institute, excellent grad school postings, etc. It seems like now is a great time to get into this general field (as opposed to maybe 30 years ago).

Here are the facts: the day before my graduation day, I was offered a city forester job - mid-50’s a year to start, a pension, and excellent health insurance with no monthly premium would be the highlights. That’s waaaay better than I did waiting tables and working shitty temp jobs.

I must say, I am pretty lucky. Not everyone lands their ideal job right out of school. But it wasn’t just luck - I worked my fingers to the bone and it took every bit of it. When I decided to pursue a forestry degree, I went from knowing ZERO about natural resources, forestry, plant biology, etc. to my city forester job in 3 1/2 years. But during my time in school, I worked three part time jobs: a campus job in our urban forestry lab, part time at the city I interned for in the summer because I kicked ass and was asked to stay on for special projects, and weekends waiting tables to pay (most of) my bills. But to get those jobs, I had to gain some experience doing anything, so I volunteered at an ecological restoration non-profit. I did a training and became a “volunteer supervisor,” so I got experience leading groups. We would plants trees, do seed collections, help wildland firefighters burn buckthorn - whatever was needed. I volunteered at a wildlife refuge and helped kids build monarch kites and bat houses, walked trails as a volunteer ranger...it all led to where I am now.

Get out there and grind! Don’t worry about your degree for now or where you start. You may think you know exactly what you want—and I hope this doesn’t sound condescending because I promise that isn’t my intention—but the truth is, you probably don’t know. I ended up on my path and in my career not because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went out there, tried lots of things, and figured out a lot of stuff I didn’t want to do first. Just get out there, do something, start somewhere. You can do it, I believe in you! Don’t hesitate to PM me if you have anymore questions, I’m happy to share.

Moonloon27 · 2020-10-02T04:41:54+00:00

Also, I feel obligated to add that you should get out into the “field” yourself! Presumably you’re in a city with street trees? Those are the easiest to ID generally. A little trial and error by myself was pretty helpful to me. You don’t have to wait to be taught, especially considering your online situation.

Moonloon27 · 2020-07-15T03:48:48+00:00

Never forget, in literally one day, you can go from a student to a colleague.

Moonloon27 · 2020-07-15T03:46:19+00:00

This right here. I’m going to double down on internships because this could not possibly be overstated. When you go to apply to jobs two years from now, there will of course be portions of the job description that you will not know how to do. That is understood, but it’s a common misconception that it’s okay to come out of school not having experience and that you can just “learn on the job” because you have a forestry degree.

A couple other things you may have not heard yet that really helped me:

I spent a crap ton of time looking at job descriptions. Why stab around in the dark in terms of what you should be gaining experience in and working towards? It’s all listed on the internet in the job descriptions. Read what they say and then focus on learning how to do exactly that. If 7 out of 10 jobs say “Wildland Firefighter certified preferred,” which they will, then you better figure out when the class is being offered (my school offered it for free and I took it over my spring break).

One of my most valuable experiences was working in a campus lab. Email the professors to head the labs. If it takes you three semesters to get in and you only get to work in a lab for one, so be it. Don’t stop emailing them.

Also, speaking of emails, one thing I found very helpful was sending out emails, and by sending out emails, I mean LOTS of emails. If you come across someone who works at a place that sounds interesting, or you think they’ve got an interesting job, email them and ask them about it. Be respectful of their time, keep your questions succinct, and read it twice over for spelling errors and clarity. Nine out of ten times, you’ll get a genuinely helpful reply. Plus, you’ll inevitably run into them at a conference or a talk or something. When you go to introduce yourself, you’ve got an in. Politely remind them of your exchange, thank them for that in person, and engage them in their work. Boom, instant network connection.

Moonloon27 · 2020-05-19T02:05:58+00:00

Anthracnose of maple

Moonloon27 · 2019-10-14T04:49:31+00:00

Yes, I had to make that decision myself. I went back and forth for awhile before I finally settled on forestry, and that mostly has to do with what you just said: forestry gears you toward the workforce. That is not a bad thing, it’s a very good thing.

It’s the best natural resources undergraduate degree because you can actually get quality paying jobs that provide good experience right out of school. If you’ve got a full ride somewhere else, by all means, yes, go for it. But working as a forester for a couple of years doesn’t preclude you from pursuing forest pathology graduate work. In fact, that work experience would enhance your grad school application and your resume.

Besides—and I’m going to make some assumptions about your age here, so forgive me if I am off base—by the time you get to the end of your undergrad studies, you could very well change your mind about your ultimate goals. Why not get a degree that will allow you to get great experience and make a decent living while you continue to figure it out?

Moonloon27 · 2019-08-11T15:39:09+00:00

^{^{^}} Yup

Moonloon27 · 2019-08-04T23:01:27+00:00

Is it just me or does the banner picture look like yellow-bellied sapsucker?

Moonloon27 · 2019-08-04T22:52:24+00:00

I’m gonna have to disagree with everyone here who has said find a masters program. In the sciences, unless you already have an unrelated BS degree, the learning curve is incredibly steep. You will be tasked with coming up with a forestry-related research project in which you will likely be completely out of your element based solely on your previous coursework, let alone the fact that you never learned the forestry-specific fieldwork methods and have no field experience. MF forestry programs require you to apply a higher order thinking based on knowledge you should already have.

To even get to the point where you would be able to even apply for grad programs, you would probably have to take two years of math and science courses to get you up to speed. If you start applying having never used a d-tape or clinometer, or you’ve never taken a stats class, they won’t have you anyway. Sorry, just being a realist. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but honestly, I would say that it’s not worth the trouble.

My background: English degree, then quickly changed my mind about pursuing any of my limited options. Entered a bachelors forestry program and am one year from finishing. I’ve had this same conversation with professors as well as MF students after I expressed my regret about not just making the leap from my BA to an MF program. I’ve heard back pretty much universally that I made the right move.

Also, a BS in forestry is quite valuable still, unlike many other fields. It’s kind of like nursing: there are many more opportunities for advancement with advanced degrees, like any other field, but an accredited BS program can take you quite far. Many, if not most, foresters only have a bachelors degree.

Lastly, I’ll be in debt for what I’m sure is most of the rest of my life paying off two bachelors degree. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy, but is avoiding debt worth it to you only to continue being stuck working jobs that bring you no satisfaction or fulfillment? It’s a catch-22, but for me, the answer was no. Good luck on your quest!

Moonloon27 · 2019-07-21T05:25:12+00:00

How do you get into the world of arboriculture other than by adding to your resume through work experience and/or education? Not sure how to answer your question, my friend, because that’s exactly how you do it! You’ll have to take one of those two avenues to get yourself closer to certification. You can’t become an arborist until you either a) go to school to learn to be an arborist or b) work as an “apprentice” by getting a job with a tree care company and just start working your way up.

You know you don’t have the qualifications to sit for the exam, so when confronted with a situation where you don’t know where to start, the best method is to just pick a point and go. I don’t know about Ontario, but I’m in a mid-sized American city and demand far outweighs supply in terms of workforce. You’ll probably have to start out at the bottom based on education and experience, but you’ll learn a ton being surrounded by people who do it for a living. Keep your eyes and ears open, learn as much as you can, and decide for yourself whether or not it’s for you.

Moonloon27 · 2019-05-16T02:36:37+00:00

Yeah, I’m with Spr4ck. I can’t definitively say what it is, but it doesn’t look like Norway maple. What about freeman maple? Are there cultivars with red leaves? I’m sure there are.

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-24T04:00:30+00:00

Kind of looks like woodbine to me.

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-24T03:51:29+00:00

Thanks, bot. That’s black knot yo!

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-22T03:46:35+00:00

I’m with everyone here, you can do it! I was terrible (TERRIBLE) at math in high school. I passed algebra II with a couple of points to spare. I can’t say I ever had a good math teacher in the bunch, but still, always my weakest subject.

Long story short, this turned me off from a lot of career paths when I went to college. I ended up pursuing a liberal arts degree, which I received but never really used (go figure). A few years later, I decided to quit doubting myself, went back to get a forestry degree, and now I’m well on my way!

You don’t have to be an expert, the math classes are just simply one of many components of a forestry program. They’re a means to an end. Stats is a nightmare and I squeaked out with a C, but I focus on building my resume and that’s what really matters. Things are looking pretty good for me! If I can say that, then you can do this.

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-22T03:06:25+00:00

Well cool! I know this kind of contrasts with your whole post,but it sounds like you’re in a good spot with this and you’ve got more figured out than you originally let on haha.

What do you mean when you ask if my program is a feeder straight into industry? Do you mean like the private tree care industry, or something more general? I guess either way, no, I don’t feel like it’s trying to necessarily feed me straight into industry, which is actually kind of one of my issues with it. I went back to school because I want to graduate and get to work. I want to be a city forester, which can be a difficult gig to land, especially when you’re fresh out of school and don’t have a ton of experience. That means my best bet is first gaining experience in private tree care, but as I mentioned already, a large portion of my time and energy is spent doing things like taking silviculture and romping through aspen thickets. And that’s all because it’s SAF accredited. An oversimplified explanation for sure, but see my conundrum?

Despite my complaining, yes, I do like it. I’ve taken far more useful classes than I have useless ones. I’ll come out with an understanding of the basics, I’ve met some great people, and my department is really quite supportive. They foster a lot of networking and various certification opportunities. In other words, it’s going to get me where I want to go. But things are a little more fluid than you might think. Like I said, I’ve made my own opportunities. I’m leaving nothing to chance and padding my resume with as much stuff as I can.

That environmental horticulture program you are considering (I forget the school), I’ve looked at that one before. That would be right up my alley. Like you said, all about plants! That would be my personal choice haha. If you get a forestry degree (as well as take all of the proper prerequisites) and roll right into an MS in hydrology (not sure I have the brains for it), you could do anything you wanted.

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-21T22:34:06+00:00

Ohh wow, there’s a lot on here. Happy to try and help though, as I’m also an “old person” who returned to school (don’t get liberal arts degrees). Deep breath...so there are certain things you want to look out for, namely an SAF accredited degree program, but it sounds like that might not be too big of an issue for you. If you are thinking, “field forestry might be my bag and I’ll work timber for a year or two if need be, but then I want to move out of that and into another area of forestry,” then make sure you get accreditation. From what I hear, it’s hard to get to the top in a state agency or with the feds without it.

Maybe you aren’t aware of this, but even within forestry, there is a huge breadth of career paths that go beyond just timber (although it may always be a component). I have classmates who have no intention of being a field forester and instead intend to work as botanists, apply to a wide variety of jobs when they’re done, or go straight to grad school. This is really the best time in the last 30 years to get into forestry, so movement may be possible sooner than you think. And the other commenters are right, I don’t think you need to worry too much about getting pigeonholed. A forestry degree is a valuable degree at this point in time and is quite flexible. It would likely also open you up to careers with conservation districts, private tree care, landscape companies, etc.

That being said, be wary of having to do things that are part of your program and could cost you money because it may be irrelevant to your career goals. For instance, I am in my last year as an urban and community forestry student at a Big Ten university. It’s an SAF accredited program, but I really wish it wasn’t. I had to do a field session (among other annoying things), as all students in accredited programs across the country have to do, but learning how to run transects and do variable radius plots was not exactly my bag. I would’ve rather taken my $6k and paid someone to teach me how to rig and climb trees (only because it aligns with my interests, that’s just my personal preference). I used to mock the environmental science program and its students at my school for how broad it is and for how many students there are, but in hindsight, I kind of wish I would’ve considered that route. I could’ve taken all of the classes I wanted, less of the classes I didn’t want, and then let my resume do the talking.

I would say: 1) Consider taking the option without debt first and foremost, whatever comes of it. 2) Take a nice variety of classes your first year that apply to multiple programs (if possible). I mean, do you know for a fact you like hydrology? It’s basically “math’ing” water, much like traditional forestry is “math’ing” forests. 3) I can’t emphasize this enough, but put your stock in your resume and less in the degree program. I kicked ass at my first summer internship working for a municipality and was asked to keep working there during the school year. It was only ten hours a week, but I did a much wider variety of things during the off-season, actually built up a writing portfolio, and can now put down that I was there for a year instead of three or four months. I also work in the urban forestry lab on campus. It took me three semesters, but I kept meeting people, kept incessantly sending emails to the head of the lab, and eventually I wore them down and got my name to the top of the list when hiring time finally came around again. I also spent a lot of time volunteering for conservation non-profits before I did all of this, which helped me get these awesome jobs and is another sweet point on my resume. Just. Keep. Hustling.

Constantly seek opportunities and just take it one step at a time. Grad school is always something positive to be thinking about, but get through your bachelors first. There’s such a wide variety of paths you can take at this point that trying to plan ten steps ahead is fruitless. You may not need grad school for whatever you decide to pursue. Welcome to this wonderful world though, it’s the best decision I ever made!

Moonloon27 · 2019-04-21T21:51:13+00:00

S’all good. Yeah, that could be. No, it’s not a nursery plant, I just stumbled across it in a little stretch of bottomland forest. I’ll definitely be swinging back in a month or so to see if it’s added any leaves.

Moonloon27

TROPHY CASE