31. Detroit Red Wings:
I don't think I could've imagined a more boring jersey. This would be a bad practice jersey. Who got paid to come up with this? I get that the Red Wings are limited because of their iconic logo and design, but all of their previous outdoor game jerseys have been far superior to this.
30. Anaheim Ducks:
I get that a lot of people get the "cool throwback" vibe from this, but I am just not there. For me, I get an "incredibly hideous/who would ever wear that" vibe. I just feel bad for the players who will be forced to wear that. The logo does not belong on an NHL jersey, and the colors and fonts just make it worse.
29. Arizona Coyotes:
The Coyotes have such a great color scheme even without utilizing the kind of beige color in their normal logo. Going with this choice of color just does not work for me. Neither does the logo. The bottom is almost unbearable to look at as well.
28. New York Islanders:
At least Anaheim and Arizona did something creative and new. This is literally the exact same jersey as their normal home except the blue is darker, and the orange and white stripes are flipped. They didn't even bother to make the numbers orange, which would have been nice. It's another poor Islanders alternate.
27. Dallas Stars
This jersey would be great with just a few changes: Make the parts above and below the star-line different colors, and change the silver color on the logo. Right now though, you will not be able to see the "Stars" on the jersey when they are on the ice. For all the ways Dallas could have gone, this is just dull and very dissapointing.
26. San Jose Sharks
Yeah, no. Logo is bad. Grey is bad. Stripes are bad. This is a bad uniform. I'm not quite sure why the Sharks are throwing it back to their worst uniforms in franchise history. This jersey looks especially bad when you compare it to their current stealth third jersey.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
I don't know why the logo looks so weird. In addition, although it is hard to tell in the pictures, the stripes are grey not white. To be fair, this jersey isn't horrendous, it is just very underwhelming. The Leafs are going to run into problems with alternates simply because they don't have multiple logos, and never have. Let's see how Toronto fans feel about this logo from the 1967 team, which is a bit of a mix between their current and old logo.
24. Calgary Flames
I am not a huge fan of Blasty, but even with it, this jersey could have been half decent. The stripes are too thin, and I don't know why they made the numbers and shoulder logos white. If those were yellow and red, then this jersey would be higher on this list. Shoutout to the Flames new home and away's though which are stellar.
23. Vancouver Canucks
I've said it before, I will say it again: gradients do not belong on NHL uniforms. If they just left the torso blue, or did the top half blue and the bottom half green this would be a great jersey. I love the arms, numbers and shoulders.
22. St. Louis Blues
The Blues in red. I get why they chose to go that way, because they really did not have many choices if they wanted to flip around colors from a previous jersey. While saying that though, I just don't know if it works. It is very bright. It is bold. It is flashy. I have a feeling people are going to be very split on this one.
21. New York Rangers
This is most definitely the most frustrating reverse retro jersey. Everyone wanted the lady liberty logo (rightfully so), so that is back, but they honestly could not have done a worse job with the rest of the jersey. Why are the stripes so thin? Why is absolutely nothing going on? This is a total waste of a beautiful logo.
20. Nashville Predators
It definitely could have been worse. I'm much more of a fan of their current logo, so that one loses some points from me. If they had swapped the silver that runs from the shoulder down the arms with navy blue, I think this would have been a stellar jersey. I like the font for the numbers.
19. Tampa Bay Lightning
I'm not sure if the designers could have picked a more boring pattern. For the most part, I am not a fan of stripes being so low on the sleeves, and that holds up for this jersey. They just feel out of place. I get that they are following their early days, but I just think a few changes could have been made to make this jersey much better.
18. Ottawa Senators
This is simply a red version of the new uniforms the Senators released previously, so nothing crazy going on here. It is very simple, and even pretty dull despite the bright red color. In my opinion they need a third color in there. Plus, why make a jersey so similar to the ones they just released?
17. Philadelphia Flyers
If I were a Flyers fan, I would buy this jersey. It is just a really nice uniform. Yes it is similar to their current jersey, and yes they didn't change much from the original design, but that's okay. The Flyers are limited because like Toronto, they have just one logo. This, at the very least would earn a solid "B" grade.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins
I'm typically not a huge fan of wordmark logos. It's tough to decide on this one. My major complaint is why would you go back to that logo? Why not use the robo-penguin? Personally I think that would have been a stellar jersey. Just because of their colors, Pittsburgh really can't mess up their jerseys that much, and this is no exception.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets
This is a very difficult jersey to evaluate. I had it much higher at first, but the more I examine it, the more I dislike it. The worst part for me is the white that runs down the sleeves. It should have a blue border, or be entirely blue. Also the stripes at the bottom just feel weird. Overall, Columbus could have done much better.
14. New Jersey Devils
The Devils should absolutely keep this green jersey as an alternate permanently. It's not perfect, I don't love the extra white stripes, but overall, this is a really strong looking uniform. Next up for New Jersey: a black jersey.
13. Edmonton Oilers
This jersey has drawn some criticism, and they should have reversed the colors in the logo, but it is still really sharp. I like the shoulders and flip of the colors in the stripes, and the numbers look really good as well. Not really any huge complaints.
12. Vegas Golden Knights
Not really much to throw back to in Vegas, but this is a nice jersey. I'm not the biggest fan of the sword logo, but it's not too bad either. Considering the addition of their third gold jerseys and this, the Golden Knights will sports some unique, and really sharp uniforms in 2020.
11. Florida Panthers
I don't know why the Panthers switched away from this logo. This is a really strong jersey. I'm glad that the Panthers, even though they did the "V" shaped arm stripes, did straight stripes on the bottom of the jersey. I can honestly say that this is the best dark jersey Florida has ever had.
10. Winnipeg Jets
It's certainly not a huge color blast like many of the other reverse retros, but this is a really nice jersey. The Jets definitely could have done better (A white out jersey would have been amazing), but this one earns a thumbs up from me. Love that logo, and the arms and striping is really clean.
9. Buffalo Sabres
This is a really sharp jersey, but...If they just had the goat head as the main logo, in blue and yellow, this could legitimately be number one. I personally like the written "Buffalo" on the bottom. Like a lot of these jerseys, I think this one will look even better on the ice.
8. Minnesota Wild
This might be the toughest jersey to judge. I was not a fan at first, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. The stripes are great. The numbers are great. The only thing tripping me up was the logo in green and yellow, but I think it works. It is definitely a nice way to honor the North Stars, and this is a stellar jersey.
7. Los Angeles Kings
The purple and gold throwback jersey has long been anticipated in LA. This does not disappoint. What is interesting about this jersey is it is actually the design and logo from when they wore black and white, but in the purple and gold colors. I'm not a huge fan of the white numbers, but overall, this is an excellent jersey.
6. Montreal Canadiens
We all knew this was coming from Montreal, but it is still incredibly sharp. It is just a reverse of their normal home jersey, but it really doesn't matter. This 100% should be the Canadiens permanent third/alternate jersey.
5. Boston Bruins
This jersey has really grown on me, and has shot up these rankings the more I have looked at them. The base yellow is actually very nice (much better than the Preds). I like the stripes, I like the old logo, I like that the bear head is only on the shoulder. My one complaint is the whites at the end of the sleeves which feel out of place.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
It would have been very hard to mess this one up. Carolina throws it back to the Hartford Whalers, with a unique grey jersey. Hartford never actually wore grey, and I think this uniform would have been better in white, but it still works here. I love the stripes, and of course the logo is a thing of beauty. Also if you get the chance, look up the logo on the shoulder of this jersey which is phenomenal, and kind of funny.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have made yet another great jersey. This one isn't crazy, but it's just really nice, and will look even better on the ice. The current logo is better than this one, but this is still a nice throwback. I like the simplicity of the numbers and stripes, which I think helps make all of the colors really pop.
2. Washington Capitals
I love this jersey. Yes, the logo does look strangely huge, but just take this one in for a minute. I am not at all a fan of the jersey this is a reverse of, but in red it is stellar. It is really sharp, and I think it will look even better on the ice. This is without a doubt one of my favorite of the reverse retro jerseys.
1. Colorado Avalanche
It really isn't all that close: This is by far the best reverse retro jersey. The Nordiques logo, in the Avalanche colors, with the Fleur-de-lis, it is just beautiful. I'm not sure if I would have chosen to go with a white jersey, but it turned out phenomenal. Sharp, clean, and simple, yet far from boring. A+