Ranking the alternate uniforms of the 2016-17 NHL season

A blue, orange and white hockey team decided to add a black and white alternate uniform to its set in order to give a nod to its black and white basketball-playing co-tenants. This is completely nonsensical, and it continues the New York Islanders' tradition of making zany choices when it comes to alternate uniforms. 

The Lightning may have the right idea in trying to copy the Maple Leafs with its home and away uniforms, but these alternates are completely off-base. It's a drab look and sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other uniforms.

A lot of teams in the NHL are embracing traditional, classic looks from the golden days of hockey. The Washington Capitals would probably be better off leaving this uniform look in the past, as this was one of the more gaudy-looking uniforms from its era and hasn't aged well. 

When the Hurricanes went to their new, more traditional-looking set of uniforms, they kept this third jersey from the previous set. There's nothing particularly bad about this uniform, but there's nothing special about it, either. It's just there.

A lot of teams went with extravagant-looking uniforms in the 1990s, and the Coyotes were no different. They brought their '90s set back for one night earlier this season, and while the novelty was nice, this uniform is not easy on the eyes. 

The Maple Leafs did a great job with their recent uniform revamp, but their special uniforms for the Centennial Classic weren't anything special.

The Red Wings had the same issue as the Maple Leafs did when it came to the Centennial Classic uniforms. The uniforms were perfectly serviceable, but they weren't anything special or exciting. 

The Penguins have embraced their old shade of gold as of late, and you're going to see a lot of it next month when they wear these jerseys for their Stadium Series game against the Flyers. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not this is too much gold for the defending Stanley Cup champions. 

The Wild has one of the most unique uniform sets in the entire NHL because all three of the team's jerseys have different crests, striping patterns and color designs. The Wild may eventually pick one design and build around it, but it shouldn't be this one.

The Flyers have gone back to their original uniform set, and that's a pretty good thing. You'd think that adding gold flourishes to that set would make for a classy alternate uniform, but instead this look falls short of being a classic than it could've been. 

The Bruins decided to use their Winter Classic uniforms as their new alternate uniforms. It's not a bad uniform at all, and it's pretty popular with the fan base so it's not a bad choice. It's not the best uniform in the world, however, but there's nothing that looks bad about this either.

This is the best uniform in Colorado's uniform set, but that's not saying too much when you consider how bad its home and away set is. Maybe the Avs will build around this set as the new wave of uniforms comes in, and that would be a step in the right direction.

While the Flyers embraced the past with their Anniversary uniform, they've gone to the future with this all-black number for the Stadium Series. The Flyers have had all-black looks in the past, but this is taking it to a new level with black-on-black numbers and scant traces of orange on the uniform. You'll either love this or hate it when you see it on the ice.

The Kings have been one of the best-looking teams in the NHL ever since they went back to the black and silver look, and this third jersey fits their set like a glove. This uniform was well-designed, and it's a shame that it'll be going away with the rest of the third jerseys.

This jersey has served Vancouver very well since it introduced it as a third jersey. It's a perfect evolution of the old set from the team's days as an expansion team, and it's much better than the primary home uniform.

The Devils only break these out for St. Patrick's Day, but they should wear them more often. It may represent a dark time for the franchise, but it's still a solid look on the ice. 

While most of the uniforms on this list may be disappearing in 2017-18, the Oilers have decided that they like their orange alternates so much that they'll wear them as their primary uniform next season. That's how much they like this, and it's also proof of how popular this uniform is with their fan base.

The Kings kicked off this season by wearing their old-school purple and gold classic uniforms. The silver patches on the shoulders may have been a tad bit out of place, but they didn't completely detract from what's always a lovely-looking uniform.

The Rangers have experimented with navy blue since the late '90s, but they stumbled on to something great when they adopted this uniform as their third jersey in 2010. It'll be going away, and it's a shame.

You really can't go wrong with any look that the Blackhawks have in their uniform catalog, and the uniform that they wore for this year's Winter Classic was no different.

You know you're doing something right when you manage to look better than the Blackhawks on the same sheet of ice, and that's what the Blues accomplished during the Winter Classic. They went with a lighter shade of blue compared to their inaugural season uniforms, and the result was a uniform that looked lovely and would've been great as a third jersey.

This is a perfect example of what happens when your third jersey fits perfectly with the home and away set. This uniform doesn't have too many frills, but it's just solidly designed and a perfect fit for the Sharks.

While this uniform looks nothing like what the Blue Jackets normally wear in their primary set, this is actually a good thing since this is arguably better for this team's identity. If Columbus ever decides to revamp its identity, it should just add a white version to this and go from there.

The previous comment on the Blue Jackets' third jersey applies to the Senators' third jersey as well. If Ottawa decides to go with a new look, it should just base it off of this and go from there, because this is an excellent look.

The Jets honored Winnipeg's WHA roots this season by wearing uniforms that were based on the original Jets franchise's uniforms from the WHA days. The result is a uniform that looks stunning and blows the current uniforms right out of the water.

It's a shame that the Flames continue to hold on to their current set, because they really tease fans of good uniforms every time they break out these beautiful throwback unis. It'll be a great day if/when they bring back the white version of these jerseys and bring balance back to their uniforms.

The Ducks unveiled these uniforms with little to no fanfare, but they've definitely become the best alternate uniforms in the entire NHL. The popular crest from the "Mighty" days made its return, but it looks infinitely better in the current identity's colors, and the shade of orange on the sweater is strikingly bold. As a result, the Ducks came up with a modern classic and a uniform that will be dearly missed if the Ducks decide to shelve it for 2017-18.