There are many types of alternate jerseys in the NHL. From traditional throwbacks to crazy new ideas, the NHL offers a wide range of alternative jerseys in its current jersey lineup.
After ranking the current NHL home and away jerseys, it’s only fair to take a look at the state of the league’s alternate jerseys. For the sake of fairness! Of course, not all NHL teams have alternate jerseys – 21 of the league’s 32 teams do – so I’m sorry to say that a handful of teams will be excluded from this list.
Here are all the current NHL alternate jerseys ranked from worst to first.
21 Edmonton Oilers
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The lack of white trim anywhere on this jersey is a criminal offense, honestly. Without proper color balance, the orange on the Oilers alternates is just too harsh, making it hard to stare at this jersey for any length of time lest your eyes start burning.
20 New Jersey Devils
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I’ve clearly expressed my disdain for the Devils’ new alternate jerseys in the past. While the typeface looks clean, the black base of the white striped jersey is so… boring. On hockey jerseys, the use of black as the primary color is often used as a crutch instead of good design and New Jersey falls into that trap here.
19 Tampa Bay Lightning
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Speaking of jerseys that phone, the Lightning’s alternates are just as bad. There’s nothing salvageable about it, from the bland presentation to the odd gray on the sleeves. Who designed these? Were they inspired by Connor McDavid’s monochrome apartment?
18 Dallas Stars
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While I dig the Texas logo and appreciate that the Stars tried to bring back the laser tag aesthetic of the early 2000s, it just doesn’t work. It’s like someone opened up a highlighter and spilled it on this jersey design. And, even worse, it doesn’t glow in the dark either!!
17 Anaheim Ducks
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The Ducks get points here for bringing back the Mighty Ducks logo, but it’s a shame the jersey isn’t in the original colors. Anaheim previously had him in rotation, but for just one year in 2018-19. Bring it back, I say!
16 Colorado Avalanche
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The Avalanche’s third jersey reminds me of a Toblerone bar, and not in a good way. I really like the colors and the use of the Colorado flag as a shoulder patch, but I find the triangular logo a little too busy and distracting.
15 Columbus blue jackets
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These jerseys are probably the Blue Jackets’ best, but there’s still something missing in them overall. I almost wish they only used the cannon as a logo for these instead of the shield with the blue ribbon around it. At least the color scheme is nice!
14 Arizona Coyotes
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Arizona’s substitutes for the year are just their previous home jerseys, which are… fine. They’re pretty much in the middle of the pack as a standard hockey jersey and it makes sense why they were relegated to backup considering the Coyotes switched to the kachina jersey full-time this year. Nothing special overall though.
13 Philadelphia Flyers
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For some reason, the Flyers thought black lettering on an orange nameplate would work as a design choice. The reason the Flyers’ current set of home and away jerseys work quite well is the use of white to balance out the black and orange, which the team completely avoids here with these alternatives.
12 Toronto Maple Leafs
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Look, I get it Maple Leafs super fan Justin Bieber designed these – and they’re reversible! – but they fall into the same trap as the Lightning and Devils with black as their base color. The pattern on the sleeves and on the logo is at least a neat touch.
11 Washington Capitals
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While I’m not the biggest fan of the modern Capitals logo with these jerseys, overall these jerseys are pretty slick with a cohesive design. The white shoulder pads are a good balance with the colored lines on the sleeves and the bottom of the jersey. All in all a pretty nice jersey, although it doesn’t do anything special.
10 San Jose Sharks
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Why do the Sharks get a black alternate jersey bye? Because teal is a unique color and I love it, that’s why. Additionally, the Sharks don’t fall into the trap that most other teams do with black jerseys as they’ve made their names and back numbers purely white, adding some much-needed contrast to these jerseys.
9 Vancouver Canucks
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Gone is the iconic whale head and original Canucks logo for their current alternate jersey. While this jersey is similar to Vancouver’s current home jersey, this jersey feels both modern and vintage, thanks in part to that old logo. This is a very nice version of a jersey from the illustrious history of the Canucks.
8 New York Islanders
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The Islanders learned the lesson with their modernized logo. Instead of their previous boring black substitutes, the team have gone with a more updated version of their current home shirts and it’s working really well. The orange and white accentuate the islanders’ shade of blue in a way that’s very pleasing to the eye.
7 Golden Knights of Vegas
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They are certainly the most unique substitutes in the NHL based on color alone. Only the Golden Knights would have the audacity to make their alternates pure gold, and with white gloves no less! Vegas gets a ton of style points here for trying something crazy that somehow works.
6 Winnipeg Jets
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I wouldn’t be mad if these jerseys became full-time Jets in a few years. The classic Jets logo suits this team much better and these jerseys show it off brilliantly. Such beautiful jerseys should not be relegated to alternative status only!
5 Kings of Los Angeles
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The only way these jerseys could be better was if they were in the Kings’ signature purple and yellow colors like their Reverse Retro. That being said, it’s such a clean look overall, from the old shield logo to the white gloves and chrome helmets. Despite having one of the most basic color schemes in the NHL, Los Angeles has an absolute ringer with this one.
4 St. Louis Blues
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The Blues substitutes look quite similar to their current kit set, but the lighter shade of blue on the shirt and logo still work beautifully together. These are throwbacks at their simplest, but why spoil something that worked for them in the 2017 Winter Classic? Good on the Blues here so don’t overthink it with these.
3 Boston Bruins
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Yet another throwback to a classic jersey, the Bruins nail it with these. Simple stripes of yellow and white frame the iconic ‘B’ logo that looks so incredibly timeless, even in its simplicity. Just a great jersey overall, no rating needed!
2 Carolina Hurricanes
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The fact that you can see a small glimpse of the state of North Carolina in the space between the two flags is pure genius. The hurricane warning flags are also a really great touch, with a hockey stick as the flag pole. A great jersey that truly honors the history of the state and the city.
1 Pittsburgh Penguins
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For my money, the Penguins have the best set of jerseys in the NHL today. After reverting to their signature yellow, there has been virtually no shortage in this team’s jersey suite. The diagonal lettering is a throwback to the team’s jerseys of the 1990s and is a great all-around addition to the current Penguins rotation. Given the Penguins’ success in revamping previous classics, the Robo-Penguin jersey has to come back now.
