Ducks

THE FACTS

In their 2014-15 retailer catalog, Reebok listed Anaheim's home and road sweaters as "TBD" — foreshadowing changes on the horizon.

Eric Stephens, Orange County Register, tweeted Dec. 3 that the "plan is for [the] current Ducks third jersey to become [the] main home sweater, perhaps next year."

THE RUMORS

In addition to the promotion of the third jersey — which debuted in 2010 — a new white version will be introduced for the road. And we could get our first look in just a few days.

On June 21, HFBoards user "Ducks DVM" reported on the team's open house event held for season ticket holders last week. He wrote briefly:

No more "Ducks" on jerseys. White jersey will be unveiled at draft.

Makes sense to me. Remember, the NHL Draft starts Friday night.

Also intriguing is the artwork on goalie Frederik Andersen's new lid, revealed June 17. Designer Dave Gunnarsson said:

When you're a goalie from Denmark in the NHL, Denmark the land of LEGO, of course a LEGO goalie is helping you building a LEGO wall on the mask.

Not sure a LEGO wall would do much against a slapshot but take a closer look at LEGO man's jersey. It's orange and features the classic Mighty Duck front and center.

This has led many to wonder whether it's a sneak peek of a new Ducks third jersey. My honest guess is it isn't. In a Q&A with the team website, Andersen said:

I think it was originally meant for the Stadium Series game, but [Gunnarsson] went with a different design for that and decided to save the LEGO idea for later.

In other words, the 2014 Stadium Series jersey probably dictated LEGO man's palette. The Mighty Ducks logo, however, I can't explain.

But there's still an open question. Will the Ducks have a new third this year? As the Magic 8 Ball would say, don't count on it. From a marketing standpoint, it makes more sense to introduce one jersey at a time.

That said, I might expect a shiny new alternate uniform from the Ducks by 2015 or 2016.