The 2021 NHL season is about a month old, and its teams have shown off a wide variety of looks. Not only are teams sporting advertising decals on the helmets, but several new uniforms have been worn for the first time as well. A lot of the new looks are centered around the new Adidas Reverse Retro line, as several vintage looks take on a modern twist. Other teams made new alternate jerseys that will add a new sense to their identity along with their existing uniforms. However, a few select teams scrapped their old looks entirely in favor of new branding for the future. With several new jerseys taking the ice for the first time, fans often make ratings to see which new NHL jersey is the best and which is the worst.

As hockey fans make ratings for the new jerseys around the league, we at Drive4Five are no different. After watching some of these new jerseys, we polled our writers to see their NHL jersey ratings for some of the new uniforms. These ratings take the entire uniform, including jersey and equipment, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 as the worst and 10 as the best.

Buffalo Sabres New Uniforms:

After years of waiting, Buffalo Sabres fans finally got their wish: the royal blue was back. After wearing a navy alternative for the greater part of the past decade, Buffalo returned to its roots with royal blue taking over as the primary color on the home and road jerseys. It may not have looked incredibly different to the older navy’s when it was unveiled, but that impression quickly changed when it took the ice. The royal has a great feeling that the old navy jersey didn’t have before, and it looks very sharp on the ice. Some of the writers found the yellow and white striping to be a bit odd, but Buffalo did very well on our NHL jersey ratings.

Final Rating: 9

As for the road jerseys, Buffalo once again hit a home run. The royal blue pops much better than the navy on the shoulders and sleeves, and they look incredibly clean on the ice. However, the general consensus is the striping on this jersey is better than the home, as blue and yellow stripes are found in place of the three yellow stripes on the home. With most of the equipment carrying over from the home, the color pallet for the road jersey is just perfect. The royal blue and yellow once again work perfectly, and it is a treat to watch on the ice.

Final Rating: 9

Ottawa Senators New Uniform:

Another team that was in need of a rebrand was the Ottawa Senators. Their old logo had gotten stale and their uniforms weren’t the best in the world. As a result, the team went back in time to its original, two-dimensional logo with new jerseys. As a collective, it looks solid overall. The new logo, although with mixed reviews, looks sharp with the black primary color. It may be a bit monochromatic in some spots outside of some red stripes, but the jersey still faired well in our NHL jersey ratings.

Final Rating: 8

Similar to the Sabres, the white has a case to be better than the black. The logo stands out on the white primary color, and the red and black stripes break up the sleeves very well. Black and red stripes fall on the waist as well to add a different dimension to the black, which only boasts red stripes. As a result, unlike the home jersey, the road capitalizes on the white to help the black and red color stand out, and Ottawa has a very solid jersey set for the future.

Final Rating: 8

Colorado Avalanche New Equipment:

Although the Colorado Avalanche didn’t change their jersey, the overall uniform has undergone a change. With the change, the gloves, pants, and helmet all bear a new, light blue color over the black they had been using. Even though it can be said that it matches the home jersey well, it looks entirely out of place on the road. With the burgundy dominating the sleeves of the road, the new colors look out of sorts on the jersey. As a result, the changes received mixed reviews among hockey fans, but they did surprisingly well among our writers.

Final Rating: 7

Dallas Stars Alternate:

When the Stars teased that they were creating an alternate jersey, most suspected it was going to go down the path of the Mike Modano era. Even with a Reverse Retro on the way, it was thought by many that the original “Stars” wordmark was making a comeback for their third uniform. However, the Stars came out of left field with a completely new jersey, making a new play on their alternate logo and a brand new color. While the concept was there, reviews were mixed on how Dallas did with their jerseys, and that applies here. Some compared it to a jersey found in the EASHL of the NHL video games, while others thought more could’ve been done to help it be better. Overall, the jersey has a wide range of feelings among NHL fans, and the rating backs that up.

Final Rating: 5

Los Angeles Kings Reverse Retro:

With the Los Angeles Kings having an underwhelming color scheme of black and white, it was possible the Kings were going to throw a wrench into their jersey rotation with their Reverse Retro. While some suspected the crown uniform was coming back, the finished product was a cross between the crown jersey and their 90’s uniform. With the cross, the Kings created, arguably, one of the best of the Reverse Retros. The two eras work perfectly on the jersey, and it adds a color choice we haven’t seen from the Kings in years. Although the white and yellow striping may be a bit off, it really doesn’t take away from the fact that the jersey is phenomenal. As a result, Los Angeles hit a home run and delivered one of the highest NHL jersey ratings of the group.

Final Rating: 9

Columbus Blue Jackets Reverse Retro:

With Columbus celebrating its 20th anniversary this season, it was likely they’d go back to their roots with the Reverse Retro. With their choice, they revived the franchise’s original logo, but there was a major twist. The base color of the jersey was now red. The color choice didn’t sit well with some of the writers, as some claimed the red with white running down the arms was a bit much. As a result, blue may have been the better call instead of red, but it received fairly mixed reviews in our NHL jersey ratings.

Final Rating: 6

Washington Capitals Alternate:

Even though the Washington Capitals had a hit on their old alternate jersey, the alternate with original “Capitals” text was scrapped for a crossover. The jersey is a mix of two of the team’s outdoor uniforms, one from the 2015 Winter Classic and the other from the 2018 Stadium Series. With a new logo featuring an homage to the nearby Washington Monument and navy blue primary color, the jersey is simple yet effective, and the writers agreed. It’s tough to see the old alternates go, but these will pass in their place.

Final Rating: 7

Toronto Maple Leafs Reverse Retro:

The Maple Leafs had a lot of options to choose from for their Reverse Retro, although some of them were excluded with the St. Pats crest being in play. However, instead of picking one uniform to build off of, the team went with a crossover of two jerseys. The Leafs wound up using the layout of the 1970s and reviving the logo of the late ’60s. However, something between the two eras just doesn’t work here. It could be the grey color choice instead of white or the logo looking off with that design, but it doesn’t look all that great on the ice, and it received the lowest NHL jersey rating of the bunch.

Final Rating: 4

Edmonton Oilers Reverse Retro:

On the night that Toronto debuted their Reverse Retros, their opponent, the Edmonton Oilers, did the same. However, unlike the Maple Leafs on the other end, the Oilers hit a home run with their Reverse Retro. The jersey is an invert of their original white uniforms with blue and orange inverted on the jersey. While the bright orange maybe a little bit much in certain spots, including the letters, numbers, and pants of the uniform, it stands out on the ice when the Oilers play. Although it isn’t perfect, Edmonton did well on their Reverse Retro to revive their color scheme from their early history and the last decade.

Final Rating: 8

Pittsburgh Penguins Reverse Retro:

Pittsburgh was an interesting team to watch with its Reverse Retro discussion. The team’s origins were in powder blue and white, and the “Robot Penguin” jersey of the ’90s is also an iconic look for the franchise. However, the team decided to make a play on the ’90s with the diagonal “Pittsburgh” lettering coming back on a white jersey. The lettering takes centerstage as yellow and black stripes are found on the sleeves and waist, and the team’s alternate logo is on the shoulders. While the jersey is fine and fairly simple, there isn’t really much to ride home about. As a result, the jersey is fine, but it can be considered a miss in some regards.

Final Rating: 6