NHL Reverse Retro Tiers: Winnipeg Jets, Canucks Among Improved Renditions

Tier Three: Middle of the Road

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes effectively took the purple Kachina they released for the 2020 Reverse Retro and swapped purple for burnt orange.

It isn’t a bad look, as it connects well with the “desert” feeling, but it doesn’t move the needle much more than that.

Buffalo Sabres

This feels like a combination of the early 2000s “Bison Head” jersey and the mid-2000s “lose to Ottawa in the conference finals” jersey.

The older logo is placed on that color scheme, and it creates a decent visual. Simple, but quite effective.

Carolina Hurricanes

Not a lot to say about this other than it is a red version of their 2019 away jerseys. The reason they’re still higher in the rankings is because the 2019 away was terrific, and seeing the diagonal “CANES” is a welcome sight.

Edmonton Oilers

Another polarizing jersey, as many despise the “oil drop” logo that the Oilers had as an alternate in the mid-2000s.

Bringing back the dark blue is a good move, and the orange brightens it up a bit. It would have been higher up if it was an exact replica of the older version.

Seattle Kraken

https://twitter.com/SeattleKraken/status/1583121370413957120

Hard to have a retro jersey when you’re only one year old, but the Kraken did well with their limited jersey history.

The logo and shades of green are among the better combinations in the league, so it works well on its own. Nothing too exciting, but it does its job.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa has returned to their weather jerseys, featuring lightning bolts, rain, and waves. It screams “retro”, which is what it needed to do.

That being said, it is difficult to place them higher purely because of the superior jersey designs. It falls into its own category of “so bad that it’s good”.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets ditched the grey to go for a more simple look in 2022, paying tribute to the 90s teams that featured Selanne, Numminen, and more.

It’s not a particularly exciting jersey, but it’s clean and a vast improvement over last year. It works incredibly well for “whiteout” conditions too, and the “Winnipeg Jets” 90’s logo is elite.