Unnumbered Thoughts: Kraken get the classic, Devils in the details, and old man Joe

The weeks around New Year's Eve are kind of weird in the hockey world. 

Everyone is focused on the World Junior Championships (quick plug to the rest of the folks here at EP Rinkside, great job, everyone) and the NHL takes an odd backseat. 

Because of some CBA machinations – the roster freeze and the holiday break – news is infrequent, and the league really tries its best to avoid letting anything upstage the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 in a typical year. 

That's a long-winded way of saying I thought we'd be struggling to fill out the unnumbered thoughts this week.

But we delivered, and like any good habit in a new calendar year, it's all about the first step, right? 

Let's take a trip around the NHL with the news and nuggets that interested me from A to I. 

A. Before they even had a team, the Seat