Jerseys, uniforms, sweaters, whatever you may call them, signify so much in sports. Athletes and fans take pride in the jerseys they wear, for the logo on the front and not just the name on the back. Let’s talk NHL jerseys.

The writers on Drive4Five and myself have decided to release a sequel to our previous article where we ranked all 31 NHL home jerseys. This time, we are ranking the away jerseys. The ranking was decided by a site-wide vote, not just the opinions of one writer.

A lot of people say that it is hard to like or dislike an away jersey; it is just white and doesn’t have much going on. Well, simplistic isn’t always bad. There are also certain Easter eggs, designs, and stripes that make each jersey unique and worthy of comparing to each other.

One last note before the ranking- I worked on this with three other writers on our website- Jake, Matt, and Scott. We each grabbed a division to write about and compiled our ranking.

31. Nashville Predators

To start this ranking, we introduce the team with the worst jersey set, according to the Drive4Five writers, in the Nashville Predators. Both the Predators’ home and away jerseys sat at the bottom of their rankings, respectively, and deservedly so. When it comes to their away sweaters, the mustard-yellow top and bottom allow for a very bland jersey that really doesn’t catch the eye. Nashville aren’t exactly the kings of NHL jerseys.

30. Anaheim Ducks

With Anaheim’s home jersey ranking 30th on our home jerseys list, the road jersey takes the same spot. While the black shoulders break things up with the white, the stripes and piping on the sleeves and sides are very different from conventional jerseys, and not in a good way. Changing the stripes can make this jersey better, but a full-scale reboot with a new logo and uniforms would be the best move for their uniforms moving forward.

29. Ottawa Senators

The Senators are one of two teams that are being rebranded next year, meaning their logo and jerseys will be changed. However, Ottawa hasn’t played a single game yet in their new uniforms, so we have to rank the “old” ones. The Sens’ sweaters are bland, and the random block of red in the middle of longer black stripes isn’t the best look.

28. Washington Capitals

Washington’s whites are simply not creative. The red piping along the sides and bottom divide up the sweater to make it look especially awkward for a side who use red for their primary color. Other than those flaws, the jersey comes across as bland and a bit disappointing.

27. Tampa Bay Lightning

In terms of NHL jerseys, this is about as basic as it is going to get. While it is not an eyesore, it is painfully bland. There is no real scheme going on here, creativity- nothing. It’s a white jersey with decently sized blue stripes. Next.

26. Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens fared quite well on our home jersey ranking, coming in second only to the beautiful burgundy of the Colorado Avalanche. However, for such a historic team and wonderful home jersey, the aways disappoint. The red stripes near the gloves only look foolish, and a thin red and blue stripe on the bottom won’t make up for it. They could have done so much more.

25. Detroit Red Wings

Detroit is similar to Montreal in terms of being a historic franchise with forgettable away jerseys. The sleeves look like candy canes, and there isn’t much else going on. Very simple. On a more positive note, though, the red collar is a nice addition.

24. Calgary Flames

The Flames logo is one of the better logos in hockey, but the road jersey doesn’t do it justice. Like Anaheim, the piping on the sides of the jersey is weird, and it makes the front and back look rather plain. The team can take notes from its Heritage Classic jersey from this past year with how stripes were used there, but the side piping doesn’t work for the Flames’ jerseys.

23. Arizona Coyotes

Arizona’s jerseys are ok, but they aren’t top tier. Although the black section of the sleeves did add some pop when it was added in 2015, it still is relatively plain from there. There isn’t too much besides some red stripes down the arms, and it feels like something more can be done to make it stand out.

22. Buffalo Sabres

Like the Senators, Buffalo is getting a much-needed rebrand for the 2020-21 NHL Season. These jerseys aren’t bad, but it looks like the blue lines surrounding the thicker yellow stripes were penciled in at the last second. They are ridiculously thin and it doesn’t look like it belongs. Sorry Sabres, we’re hoping for the best for your rebrand, but this is pretty low for NHL jerseys as of now.

21. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks’ teal uniforms are a nice change from other uniforms around the league, but the Sharks don’t capitalize on the color with their road uniforms. Aside from some teal and black stripes on the sleeves, it is absent for the most part from the jersey. Some extra teal stripes near the bottom would help with that, but they could be doing a lot more to have this higher on the list.

20. New Jersey Devils

New Jersey’s away sweaters are an inverted version of their homes, and that’s okay. The continuation of the black shoulders is a great touch, as are the sleeve stripes. The Devils lose major points when you look at the back. The black stripe around the bottom of the jersey, coupled with the black shoulders create a great opportunity for the Devils to take advantage of their unique color scheme. They instead use red numbers with practically invisible black rims, which is a wasted opportunity.

19. Los Angeles Kings

While the Kings’ color scheme may be pretty generic with black and white as the primary scheme, they are able to make it work somewhat well. The balance between black and white is pretty fair with a decent amount of black from the piping to stripes on the sleeves and waist. The use of silver outside the black stripes does add a little flare to it as well. While it isn’t in the top half of jerseys, Los Angeles is able to make something of a fairly basic color scheme.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have very underrated home outfits. The away uniforms were a swing and a miss. They attempt to replicate their home jerseys with the stripe coming from the collar all the way down to the end of the sleeve. The issue here is that instead of using said stripe as an independent design element, they use it to divide the blue and white sections. This makes it look like the equipment manager had two damaged jerseys and salvaged them together to make it wearable. Make the upper portion white as well and Columbus can show off their respectable efforts on and off the ice.

17. Toronto Maple Leafs

Overall, the Leafs have one of the best jersey sets in the NHL but the road jerseys aren’t exactly pulling their weight. The blue Maple Leaf is beautiful, but this isn’t a logo ranking. The jersey itself is nothing short of a bunch of thin blue stripes. It doesn’t look bad, there’s just not much going on.

16. Minnesota Wild

The Wild’s away jersey may be simple, but they are really clean. The color combination of the dark green stripes and the red collar compliment one of the better logos in the league, sitting in the middle of the jersey. Even better, Adidas didn’t even touch the jersey when the move was made, which shows how clean the sweater really is.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Not the greatest, but still not the worst when it comes to NHL jerseys. Adidas made the orange and white on the shoulders work, but nothing special. Their nameplates are unique, but definitely sit awkwardly on a white background. The names stick out, but not in the best way.

14. Carolina Hurricanes

A team has finally done something unique and made an away jersey that isn’t an inverted version of their homes. They look decent, but they lose points for being very similar to the Rangers’ diagonal lettering. Compared to the “SENS” and “BOLTS” of past years, they definitely aren’t the worst NHL jerseys.

13. Dallas Stars

The Stars away jerseys are part of what is one of the best uniform sets in hockey. When it comes to the jersey, they didn’t overuse their team colors of black and “Victory Green”, which makes for a slick look. The key aspect of their jerseys is that the nameplates and numbers are in green, but it doesn’t overpower the jersey as a whole.

12. New York Rangers

This is a classic sweater. The Islanders’ cross-town rivals are an  Original Six franchise, so these have been around for awhile. These are another inversion of their home jerseys, and the blue and red stripes give it a nice look.

11. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have a bit more going on with their stripes than most teams do with their away jerseys. On the bottom and on the sleeves, the alternation between yellow and black makes it look sharp and unique, rather than just one base color with a couple thin stripes for good measure.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh updated their brand a few years ago and finally got rid of the ugly “Vegas Gold” uniforms. After bringing back an alternate in the playoffs, the fans wanted the team to use these full-time, which they did the following season. They simply look good, bringing back a classic look in Adidas has almost always worked out well for NHL franchises and the Penguins are an example of this.

9. New York Islanders

Back by popular demand after Reebok’s Edge experiment, their Islanders’ away uniforms are a modern version of their original home uniforms from the Dynasty era. These are classic jerseys that pop 1980s. Blue and orange is also a beautiful color combo, and it doesn’t look half bad on NHL jerseys.

8. Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks’ jerseys seem to never go out of style, and that is why they are ranked highly. Their away jerseys are very simple, but, in this case, the simpler the better for one of the league’s original six. The three stripes at the bottom and on the sleeves allow for the jerseys to not be plain, but anything more than that would be overkill.

7. St. Louis Blues

The 2019 Stanley Cup champions are pictured wearing these jerseys during their celebration as they were on the road when they celebrated, but even before then, these jerseys one some of the best in the league. The stripes at the bottom and on the shoulders displaying their three main colors – blue, yellow, and black, give a great touch to a jersey that otherwise may not be as exciting.

6. Florida Panthers

The winner of the Atlantic Division is the- Florida Panthers? Absolutely! While the color scheme isn’t exactly the best thing since sliced bread, the Panthers jerseys are very unique and stick out from the rest. With the center of the jersey composing a very thick, outlined stripe with the “Florida” patch in the middle, it almost looks like a soccer kit. And we don’t hate it.

5. Winnipeg Jets

What sets the Jets’ away jerseys apart from many other teams is that the sleeves are not plain aside from some stripes. The jersey’s sleeves feature a dark blue stripe down the side, the same blue that is the primary color on their home jerseys. Alongside that, there are two light blue stripes intercepting the dark blue, and the same two colors make up the stripes on the bottom.

4. Edmonton Oilers

While Edmonton’s home jerseys may be slightly inferior to their royal blue counterparts, the road jersey hasn’t lost much since the Oilers’ rebrand. The white and navy blue work well with each other on the shoulders and the orange and navy bands on the sleeves is a perfect balance. Neither color dominates the jersey, and the even distribution makes it a fine look overall and the fourth spot on this list.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

The NHL’s newest team will start out the top three. The way the Golden Knights use their color scheme on this jersey makes it unique and very flashy. The gray and gold on the waist and upper sleeves are a solid look, and the small band of red helps to break things up. While the shoulders are a solid white, the alternate logo with the swords in the shape of a star adds a nice touch to the sides. As a result, the Knights’ road jersey is simple yet effective, and it takes a top-three spot on this list.

2. Colorado Avalanche

Just like the Jets’ away jerseys, the Avalanche uses the primary color of their home jerseys, burgundy, frequently on their away sweaters. It is featured on the same type of striping the Jets have, as well as it being featured on the bottom of the jerseys in a mountain peak style, outlined by a grey stripe.

1. Vancouver Canucks

They got some beautiful jerseys out West, huh? Rounding out the list at number one is the Vancouver Canucks’ road jersey. Ever since removing the “Vancouver” wordmark from the jersey, the orca logo stands out more, and the rest of the jersey is very effective with the team’s color pallet. The blue and emerald colored stripes have a strong balance on the waist and sleeves, and it stands out against the white. The “stick and rink” logo is also a very solid secondary logo on the shoulders as well. As a result, combine two strong logos and a great color scheme, and Vancouver will take the number one spot on our rankings.