Saturday: Let the Trade Parade Begin

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Saturday HJC post! Today's post features a good mix of traditional, forward-thinking, and inventive designs. 

The big news from yesterday evening was the huge trade the brought Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to St. Louis for Chris Stewart, a minor-league player, a 2015 1st round pick, and a 2016 3rd rounder. High price to pay? Maybe, but I think this was exactly what the Blues needed to do. Goaltending was their major weakness the past few years, and bringing in a quality netminder like Miller makes the Blues the front runner for the Cup. Now all they need to do is make a trade for Martin St. Louis. The headlines write themselves! It's a marketer's dream. 

(image credit: Bill Wippert/NHL/Getty Images)

So, who/what is on your trade deadline wishlist? I'm sending my hockey Christmas letter to Santa Poile with wishes for top line center. Is that a little unrealistic? Probably, but a man can dream, right? Let us know what moves you'd like to see in the comments section!

Chicago White Sox concept - Ben A.

What I like: The White Sox's alternate logo looks ok as a shoulder patch.

What I dislike: Not using this jersey was a missed opportunity. The White Sox's retro alternate jersey is their best. It's unique, and it would translate well to a hockey jersey. There too many teams in baseball that use pinstripes. The NHL shield needs to be taken off the collar insert. Many of the pinstripes are crooked, unevenly spaced, and stop before reaching the end of the jersey template. 

Overall: Pinstripes aren't easy to work with, but execution drags this one down. (5/10)

Literal Logo Series: St. Louis Blues Concept - Wings98

What I like: Omitting the dark shade of blue from the color scheme is an improvement.

What I dislike: The idea behind the literal logo is interesting, but it this case the blue note really misses the wing. There's a lot of dead space on the front of the jersey. The lines on the note are not very straight, either. Striping is ok, but not particularly interesting. I would move the TV numbers further down the sleeves so they aren't crowding the shoulder yoke.

Overall: Interesting concept, but not one I would want to see on the ice. (5.5/10)

Literal Logo Series: Winnipeg Jets Concept - Wings98

What I like: I like combining the striping from the old Jets jerseys with the asymmetrical arm striping of the Thrashers. 

What I dislike: The "air" coming off the jet should be removed. It looks like it's drawn on with crayon. I would take "Winnipeg" off the sleeve. It's not necessary to add that to make the Jets/Thrashers connection, and would likely get covered by a player's glove anyway.

Overall: I think you may be on to something with the striping. Work with that. (6/10)

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Stadium Series Concept - Andrew W.

What I like: A "Battle of Florida" might make for an entertaining event game. I'm not sure how the ice would fare in Tampa, but if they can pull it off in LA, maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I'm sure some Tampa fans would be glad to see another black jersey. I like the striping pattern on the sleeves of the Panthers jersey. I appreciate the detail with the helmet logos here. Choosing to have a color vs. color game is interesting. I hope we'll see more color vs. color games in the future. It's not like black vs. red would make the teams difficult to discern.

What I dislike: There's a lot of empty space on the Panthers jersey, and I've never cared for side panel striping. I would like to see angled hem striping that matched the sleeves. The Tampa jersey needs a little more blue. What blue there is can be difficult to see.

Overall: Some interesting elements here. (7.5/10)

Colorado Avalanche Concept - Caleb F.

What I like: The Avs logo doesn't look bad in one color. I like the striping pattern used here on both the hem and the sleeves. I don't mind that they don't match up. 

What I dislike: The middle point on the hem striping should come to a point. There are a few places where the striping overlaps the boundaries of the template. I would put an alternate logo on the shoulders

Overall: Some good ideas for an alternate here. (7.5/10)

St. Louis Blues Concept - Caleb F.

What I like: The striping/yoke is easy to love. Very classic design

What I dislike: Ditch the vintage white. Personally, I'm burned out on it, but I still think it would look better with true white. There are some odd places here where the pixels of the template look disjointed. It could be the program you're using. I've never used the Iceborn template. From what I understand it was designed to be used with Illustrator, correct? If you used Paint.net or something similar, that could account for said irregularities.

Overall: Pretty solid traditional design. There's not much to dislike, other than the vintage white. (7.8/10)

Washington Capitals concept - Caleb F.

What I like: The "Weagle" really is Washington's best logo. The striping is interesting. I especially like the striping used on the yoke.

What I dislike: I would take the star off the arms. The number on back seems a bit small in proportion to the rest of the jersey. What I said in the previous concept about execution irregularities applies here as well.

Overall: I would like to see an alternate from the Capitals that uses the Weagle. (7.8)

Robert Morris vs. University of Pittsburgh Concept - Stephen T.

What I like: This would be an interesting game. I like the striping on both jerseys. I especially like that Pitt's jersey is reminiscent of the '86-'92 Penguins jerseys. 

What I dislike: The number on the back of the Robert Morris jersey, the crest of the Pittsburgh jersey, and the name on the back off the Pitt jersey are all off-center. Robert Morris' helmet should be white in this case. Take the NHL shield off both jerseys. Stitching overlaps yoke striping on the Robert Morris jersey.

Overall: Some good design choices here, but execution drags this one down. (6/10)

Montreal Canadiens Alternate Jersey Concept - Colin M.

What I like: This jersey has a good simplicity to it. This would make a great faux-back. Execution is flawless. Thank you for putting a logo on the helmet.

What I dislike: I might get rid of the pants stripe. I think it interferes with the simplicity of the concept as a whole. I would make the helmet blue.

Overall: Sometimes brilliant designs come from simple concepts (8.5/10)

Ottawa Senators Alternate Jersey Concept - Colin M.

What I like: I love the collar. The logo choice is perfect. I think the 'O' monogram is boring as a primary, but makes a great alternate logo, especially on a helmet. The striping works really well here. Execution is great. It's a wonderful alternate.

What I dislike: Is it too much? On a regular basis, probably; which is why it's better as an alternate. I could see how the numbers may be hard to read as well. With a design like this, you have to take it's positives with the negatives. 

Overall: This would make a wonderful alternate for the Senators. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me!

Toronto Maple Leafs Alternate Jersey Concept - Colin M.

What I like: It's hard to go wrong with a retro Leafs jersey. The striping is very straight-forward, but I'm sure the fans in Toronto would eat this up. I like the numbers on the shoulders here. As always, I appreciate adding the helmet logo. The faux-leather gear is cool, too. Putting the number on the leaf isn't something I've seen before.

What I dislike: I think I'd like to see the collar from the Sens jersey above on this one. 

Overall: Another solid alternate from Colin M. (8.8/10)

Be sure to let us know which concepts you love, hate, or love to hate in the comments! Keep in mind that all our evaluations of these concepts are our opinions, and it always helps to get more than one opinion on a concept! Have a great week everyone! See you back here next Saturday.