The Ottawa Senators were one of a handful of teams listed in the Adidas 2019 catalog in the third jersey section as “TBD”—meaning something new was in the works and they wanted retailers to be aware for planning purposes.

That notation does not definitively mean a new uniform will happen. Sometimes the organization has a change of heart if the prototypes don’t live up to their expectations. I have no inside information as to whether that’s the case with the Sens, but it looks like they’re sticking with what they know.

On Monday, the Senators played a Thanksgiving Day matinee against the Minnesota Wild, wearing their red alternate jersey from last year—which, itself was originally an outdoor jersey for the NHL 100 Classic in the 2017-18 season.

Given that the franchise is in the midst of a rebrand slated to come as early as next season, I suppose we shouldn’t be all that surprised. It probably makes more sense to roll a new look out all at once when the time comes—possibly next summer.

The Senators are in a bit of a brand crisis at the moment. I’m no expert on the subject but I do know fans are revolting against their ownership. Attendance figures have been anemic in the early going of the season. And there’s so much more to a team’s brand than what it looks like on the ice.

A new, refreshed look can go a long way toward aiding a campaign of changing hearts and minds. Of course wins would help too.

But we’ll see what happens. For now, I would guess a new third jersey for this year is off the table. But never say never. Plenty of teams have surprised me this year.