Saturday: Jokers Wild

Today we have a redesign of the Ottawa Senators, a Jokerit concept, and three concepts for the Minnesota Wild. It's odd how that happens sometimes.

It's the first of November, and we're almost a month into the 2014-2015 season. Although the season is still young what do we know about the teams this season?

• Nashville Predators - Yes, I told you so. When countless "experts" predicted the Predators would free-fall to the bottom of the Western Conference all the Preds have done is take first in the Central Division and laugh. Yeah, Neal can score without Evgeni Malkin.
• Carolina Hurricanes - Haven't won a game yet, but that's not even the worst part. Take a look at their player salaries on CapGeek, then compare that to their actual performance. They can't trade assets easily because of their players' massive cap hits. If you're a Hurricanes fan, I suggest finding something else to invest time in this year. It's going to get ugly. This is a team with offensive stars, and they are averaging a little under 2 goals per game. Wow.
• Boston Bruins - Not living up to their potential? The cap problems are hitting them this year. That's what the cap is designed to do, though. Parity, etc.
• Washington Capitals - Ovetchkin is in his longest-ever scoring drought, but the defense and goaltending has vastly improved. They have Barry Trotz/Mitch Korn to thank for that. If the offense lives up to its billing, this will be a good team.
• Calgary Flames - These guys are just monsters of effort. Watching them play is like watching a Barry Trotz Preds team from 2012 or earlier. They don't have tons of talent, but they just grit their teeth and get it done. They blocked 30 shots against the Preds. The Flames are the antithesis of the Sabres and Hurricanes. Yeah, they don't look great on paper, but you'd never know it by their attitude on the ice. They currently sit at 5th in the West, ahead of Chicago, who they have beaten.
• Columbus Blue Jackets - The team trainer has his work cut out for him. It seems they have a guy go down in every game lately. They played really hard and physical right from the start of the preseason, and I think that kind of play may be catching up with them already.
• Vancouver Canucks - Canucks roster - John Tortorella = better team
• Colorado Avalanche - Advanced statistics pointed at a probable decline for the Avs, and that's exactly what has happened thus far. This team doesn't seem to have gelled offensively or defensively. They may turn it around, but they've got to make up a lot of ground in a very tough division.
• Arizona Coyotes - I saw so many people predict that they would finish above the Preds and I have no clue why. They depend so much on their top D-pairing and Mike Smith playing like an elite goaltender, and that just isn't happening. Smith is average at best.

If the Playoffs started now, the Stars, Blues, Avs, Rangers, Flyers, and Capitals wouldn't make it in. Season predictions can be a crapshoot, guys. What are your thoughts on the season so far? Let us know in the comments section!

Let's move on to today's concepts:

Jokerit Concept (KHL) - TJH42

Positives: I have a hard time with Jokerit concepts, because I have a personal thing against red and yellow together. These aren't bad, though, because for the most part, red and yellow are separated. The advertisements, although an eye sore, are necessary for realism with a club that plays in the KHL like Jokerit. I like the "hanger effect" on the inside and outside of the collar. The striping pattern on the white jersey is especially interesting. There is some good detail with these jerseys. 

Negatives: The numbers and names aren't easy to read on the blue jersey. The name and numbers should be white to make them readable. Also, the numbers seem proportionately small compared to the rest of the jersey. I'm just not sold on that Jokerit logo against chest striping.

Overall: There is some good detail here, but a few changes could be made to make it more practical for the ice. (7.5/10)

Ottawa Senators Concept - Alan J.H.

Positives: Gone is the front-facing Senator logo, which is one of my least favorite primary logo currently used in the NHL. The striping pattern looks good here. I would be in favor of Ottawa bringing this pattern, which they used on their black third jersey from 2000-2007. Secondary logos are well chosen. This one of the better executed jerseys I've seen from Alan, who's been doing this for quite awhile, being one one the contributors I remember when I started years back. 

Negatives: When it comes to side-facing Senator logos, I prefer the updated version. It's criminally underused and unappreciated. 

Overall: Logo preference aside, this would be a good set for the Senators, and certainly an improvement over what they currently wear. (8.5/10)

Minnesota Wild Alternate Concept - Connor J.

Positives: I think Connor is going for a barberpole-style pre-WWII aesthetic for a Wild "fauxback" jersey. I think that could work, but...

Negatives: This is a messy concept. The striping thickness and placement is inconsistent from the arms to the hems, and the front and back of the jersey. There is no striping on the back left arm. It seems that some parts of the arms and pants have been erased or colored over with gray. The helmet should be green, because this would be a dark set, and the opposing team would have to wear a white helmet. There are no sleeve numbers. The concept as a whole is over-striped.

Overall: Take time with your concepts. Look them over and make sure everything matches and is consistent. Make sure you don't accidentally remove or erase anything. Details are very important. (5/10)

Minnesota Wild Concept - Colin Mag. (CPM)

Positives: This  a clean concept. I like the use of the gold in this jersey. The gold aspect of Minnesota's logo is rarely incorporated well, if at all, so it's good to see it used well here. Colin does a great job eliminating the wheat color. This would simplify Minnesota's color scheme. Great execution.

Negatives: I'd like to see something on the shoulders. If not a flat yoke, then a shoulder patch. I was very impressed with Zach's altered North Stars logo on Thursday. That could look great on the shoulders of this concept. 

Overall: Add something to the shoulders, and you're set. (8.5/10)

Minnesota Wild Concept - Jake M. (Jake88)

Positives: Our third Wild concept is from Jake88. Jake makes good use of Minnesota's strong font, and logo set. I like the "hanger effect" that Jake added in the collar. Chest striping can be difficult pull off while keeping numbers legible, but there's not readability problems here. Execution and presentation is great, as Jake88 has really stepped up his game this year. Nice ID logo as well.

Negatives: Nothing is needed on the shoulders here, but I have one question: is this intended to be a light jersey or a dark jersey? It straddles the line. It has too much white to be considered a dark jersey, but has too much color to be a light jersey. It's a good look, but it suffers from a crisis of purpose in my eyes.

Overall: Cutting off the green a little bit above the hem/cuffs, and making the helmet white would help show exactly what this jersey's intended use is. (8/10)

See something you liked, or have a differing opinion from mine? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

Tomorrow Ryan has something new to announce that will make voting much easier! I won't say any more, but I think that this will help voting increase while protecting the strong integrity of HJC's voting practices.

Speaking of voting, did you forget to vote this week? You have a brought great shame upon yourself. Coach Mike Babcock wants to let you know how he feels about that.

But wait, you're a responsible adult, you say? You remembered to vote this week? That's great! Take your reward, good sir.

That's all for today. See you all back here tomorrow. Same time. Same place.