The NHL has 31 different teams, and with the wide variety of markets comes a wide variety of names and logos. Let’s go over five NHL jersey rebrand ideas certain squads should implement.
Some styles pertain to nature in the case of the Wild, Lightning and Avalanche. Some may pertain to imposing figures such as Senators, Golden Knights and Kings. Some may pertain to wild animals with the Predators, Panthers and Bruins. The logo and uniform are major pieces to the identity of any team with various color schemes being used in different ways.

Some teams have hit home runs with their uniforms, but others have been misses from the start or seen their time pass them by, which leads to certain jerseys being overdue for change. As a result, we will go over potential changes.

In each entry, we will list why the team is present and what changes should be made in order to improve their look, whether the change should be a return to a prior look or to a brand new concept (the concepts for this list were made at AthleticKit.com). The Buffalo Sabres are exempt from consideration since they will be changing back to royal blue uniforms next season.

Anaheim Ducks:

The Current Uniforms:

Anaheim’s uniforms aren’t one of the best in the grand scheme of the NHL. The black jersey with orange, yellow, and white stripes is a good idea, but it just doesn’t compare to the past. While it can be said that this was the look the team donned for its 2007 Stanley Cup run, it just has grown stale over the years and a shakeup would be an interesting move, especially with the team beginning a rebuild and looking to usher in a new era.

The Change:

If the team were to rebrand, the new uniform is an easy choice as the team should go back to the Mighty Duck logo of old. It is widely considered to be one of the best retro logos in the league and deserves to be brought back for an extended stay in their rotation. Also, if the team wanted to use the new colors on the old logo, they already have experimented with it on their alternate uniform. The particular uniform blends the old and new together perfectly in my opinion, and if the team wanted to tie the past and present together, this would be a logical choice. However, even if the idea of using that uniform full time is met with criticism, the team also wore their original dark uniforms last season in honor of their 25th anniversary. Either way, the Mighty Duck is an iconic look that deserves another chance full time, regardless of color scheme.

Edmonton Oilers:

The Current Uniforms:

This selection isn’t necessarily hating on their current uniforms. It is cool to see the Oilers embrace an orange uniform as a home jersey, but it’s just a matter of their history. For a large portion of their history, including the dynasty days of Gretzky and Messier, the team donned royal blue and orange uniforms, not the navy blue of today. The years that the Oilers wore navy haven’t been great, with a large majority of the years from 1996-2012 being either mediocre or losing in the playoffs besides a miraculous run that came one game short in 2006. As a result, the navy just hasn’t been a good fit for the team regarding their history and efforts with navy in their jersey lineup.

The Change:

For this change, the orange base color will stay, but it will be changed to what was worn in their final year at Rexall Place in the 2015-16 season. These uniforms are beautiful and arguably some of the best of the past decade. The orange and royal blue work perfectly together with a good amount of white to balance it out. The jerseys were a hit with their fanbase, and the highly positive reception allowed the uniforms to make the trip with them to Rogers Place for the 2016-17 season, even being donned for home games in their playoff run in 2017. Also, if the team were to consider bringing the royal blue back, they could stick with their current road jerseys, but place royal where the navy is on the jersey now. While the royal blue uniform was the main reason for their jerseys now, the navy blue just doesn’t compare to the royal blue, and that is why I believe it should return.

Los Angeles Kings:

The Current Uniforms:

 
The Kings conceptually don’t have a bad logo. The LA with the crown underneath is not a bad look, but it’s just the color scheme that doesn’t do it for me. It’s just black and white, the most generic color combination nowadays. Especially with a name like the “Kings,” it really doesn’t feel like royalty. It’s just too bland a color scheme and uniform to make a major impression.

The Change:

If the Kings really wanted to add an interesting flare to their uniforms, the answer is simple. For many years of their history, the team donned purple as a secondary color on their uniforms. They used it with their initial Laker-colored uniforms and at the turn of the millennium alongside the black and white color scheme. Nowadays though it is completely absent. If the team could make a change with purple returning as a secondary color, it could make their uniforms more interesting and eye catching on the ice. The team could also add it to their road uniforms with the black and white inverted on the particular jersey.

Nashville Predators:

The Current Uniforms:

The gold and blue color scheme of the Predators can lead to a good look if used properly. They had that with their final Reebok uniforms before the jersey rights changed to Adidas. When the change was made, however, the Predators dropped the ball. Their uniforms became more of a mustard bottle since yellow can be found almost everywhere on the uniform besides navy and white on the ends of the sleeves and waist.  What the Predators had before, in my opinion, was a perfect blend with a largely yellow uniform with navy blue and white to balance it out, and it’s unfortunate to see it change for the worse.

The Change:

With the possible concept, the logo, number font, and primary golf can stay. Instead, however, navy blue could become the shoulder color with an appearance also being made down the sides, and white piping surround the navy blue on all fronts. The inspiration for the look is actually based on their original uniforms when they started as an expansion team, but the jersey is revamped with the new color scheme. The road uniform could feature white as a base, navy blue piping, and gold shoulders and hips as an inversion. As a result, the greater use of navy blue with white piping could take down the extensive yellow a bit, and it could make the uniform a little less overbearing.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

The Current Uniforms:

The Bolts have a lot of potential with their name and logo. The lightning bolt is a good choice for a logo and the team name could spark a lot of possibilities. However, the jersey is extremely plain. What you have when you look at it is a discount Toronto Maple Leafs uniform, and with a name like the “Lightning,” there are a lot more possibilities to grow with it. While they attempted to play with the black alternate, they changed what was working with their Reebok alternates and made a black and gray alternate, completely lacking their current color scheme.

The Change:

Even if black is not present on their current color scheme and only found on the alternate, there is potential to possibly bring it into their current uniforms. In terms of change, the primary color blue would stay, but the shoulders and sleeves would change. On the home uniforms, the shoulders would be white, and black and white stripes would be found on the sleeves and waist. The white road jersey would be the same way but inverted between the blue and white. To add some black would just make the uniforms more interesting than before, and black accents add a little more to the uniform over solid white stripes in my opinion.

These are my five personal picks for teams that should change their uniforms. While this is all merely opinion-based and speculation at this point in time, it would be interesting to see teams make some changes to their uniforms, even those that are not named in this article. While the probable changes may not be those directly stated here, some teams may be overdue for any form of a shakeup whether it’s due to a uniform getting stale, already subpar jerseys, or just a need to change a long-running uniform.

Do you agree with the choices or do you have any teams we missed? Leave a comment and let us know what teams you think should change their uniforms.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.