Three NHL Teams That Desperately Need a Rebrand

A few NHL teams could use a refresh when it comes to their jersey situation.

May 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing William Carrier (28) passes the puck as Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk (57) defends in the second period in game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

More than those in possibly any other sport, hockey uniforms are seen as sacred. The passion fans have for their favorite team's sweaters is unmatched, and in a way, admirable.

Luckily, we're now in an era where the vast majority of teams have uniforms that are at least good, and many go beyond that. Unfortunately, not quite all of them are winners.

So, here are three NHL teams who could use a rebrand in the near future (credit to The Hockey Guy for the inspiration).

Carolina Hurricanes

May 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) skates against Florida Panthers during the third period in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

To put it bluntly, Carolina's brand identity is a complete mess right now. They have three different uniforms that don't resemble each other at all beyond colors and logos. The road uniform with the diagonal "Canes" wordmark is especially bad, and it started the horrible trend of teams wearing dark helmets with white jerseys.

A return to the Hartford Whalers branding will sadly never happen, but there's still room to make a good brand with the Hurricanes' existing assets (or modified versions of them). Even just making a white road version of their black jersey with the warning flags would be a marked improvement from what they have now.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Apr 28, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mitchell Chaffee (41) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Lightning play in the heart of Florida, the definition of a non-traditional hockey market, yet they've spent the past 15 years cosplaying as an Original Six team. Their current jerseys have been described as Detroit Red Wings jerseys with Toronto Maple Leafs colors, and it's really hard to argue against that.

That's not to say that the Lightning should go all-out weird - their late 90s storm alternate is infamous for a reason - but they should be a bit more experimental with their brand. A return to black as the primary color, along with a logo that isn't so minimalistic, would help separate them from their Atlantic Division rivals. With them winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in these uniforms, however, a chance in the near future may be unlikely.

Washington Capitals

May 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) blows a kiss to his son in the stands after game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Capitals underwent a major redesign when the league moved to Reebok as its official uniform provider in 2007. Eighteen years and two different uniform providers later, their jerseys are pretty much exactly the same.

While it made sense for the Capitals to go back to their classic color scheme of red, white and blue, Reebok's odd piping and paneling really do the jerseys a disservice, and they're basically the only team in the league still affected by it. The wordmark logo on the chest is also quite underwhelming, especially because Washington has an absolutely perfect secondary logo, but it's just a shoulder patch on these jerseys.

The Capitals won't make any major changes ahead of what is likely Alex Ovechkin's final season, but after he retires, move the secondary logo to the forefront and remove the paneling. If they do that, they'll be in great shape aesthetically.

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