There has been rumors abound that the New Jersey Devils will debut new jerseys next season. The team should keep the current color scheme.
It’s almost famous for just how bad it is. The Christmas Tree Jersey that haunts the New Jersey Devils past. The team realized that red and black looked so much better than red and green back in 1992, and just like the Devils on-ice fortunes, everything changed for the better.
Since then, the Devils only made very small changes to the jersey, and have not added an alternate jersey like every other team in the NHL. In recent years, the Devils have been using their throwback jerseys as an alternate, but it doesn’t happen often.
It all started when Adidas won the jersey rights for all NHL teams, taking over for Reebok. Then, back in January, Pete Blackburn on Fox Sports tweeted the Devils would be getting a “full jersey” overhaul.
By the way, I’ve been told that the New Jersey Devils are getting a full jersey makeover from adidas next season
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 9, 2017
Honestly, if it were up to me I wouldn’t change the jerseys at all. I don’t see a big problem with the simple style of the Devils jersey, mainly because of how good the crest is. That being said, I can see why Adidas would want to take a team that no doubt is one of the worst in terms of jersey sales, and give the public a reason to buy them.
A jersey change does not mean it has to be a color scheme change, but the rumors online have been talking about it. However, like most online rumors, they are baseless.
It’s hard to sell the current front office on the history of the Devils. Owner Josh Harris never owned a winning team in New Jersey. General Manager Ray Shero seems to be much more open to take a new school approach to the team that Lou Lamoriello didn’t.
The Devils will become a gimmick if they go back to the red and green. I mean, look at those jerseys? They literally are a gimmick. It’s great for Christmas Day games and St. Patrick’s Day games. That’s it. There is no other reason for the return of the Christmas Tree jersey.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
This may all be for naught. There is no reason for the Devils to move away from its color scheme. Chris Ryan with NJ.com said that a jersey change for the Devils wouldn’t come next year, but that was all the way in January. Things have changed in the NHL overnight, so decisions from four months ago may have changed six times by now.
Red and green would be a bad choice by Adidas. With the Devils getting some high-demand players in Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier, and the slim possibility that Ilya Kovalchuk could be wearing a Devils jersey next year, red and black is the only way to go. That’s if they change the jersey at all.