NHL awkward scale: Which traded players look strangest in new jerseys? (Gallery)

Have you ever played The Jersey Game?

Here, we’ll start: Teemu Selanne.

Think of him in an NHL jersey. Do you see him flying around the ice as a Winnipeg Jet? Do you see him as a Mighty Duck of Anaheim, or an Anaheim Duck? What about a San Jose Shark? Are there actually people who see him as a member of the Colorado Avalanche?

Fact is, we see players in a certain jersey when they immediately pop into our minds. Anything else is … well, awkward.

The 2013 NHL trade deadline saw several players associated with a particular team move to a new city. Which ones made a natural transition, and which ones made it weird?

Here’s a gallery of NHL faces in new places; in the descriptions, we rate them on the awesome scale:

And here we go ...

Jussi Jokinen, Pittsburgh Penguins

AWKWARD RATING: 4

It was more awkward seeing Jokinen skate in place of Sidney Crosby than it was seeing him wearing the black and gold.

Jay Bouwmeester, St. Louis Blues

AWKWARD RATING: 8

Seeing J-Bouw in something other than a Flames or Panthers jersey is jarring. Even more jarring: That he might be wearing the jersey of a playoff team for the first time in his career.

Jarome Iginla, Pittsburgh Penguins

AWKWARD RATING: 10

Does. Not. Compute. Even more awkward: We all saw him in a Bruins jersey first.

Robyn Regehr, Los Angeles Kings

AWKWARD RATING: 5

He's not the first veteran defenseman to don the black and white. And hey, it's a reunion with Darryl Sutter! That's not awkward.

Jason Pominville, Minnesota Wild

AWKWARD RATING: 9

It's awkward because Pominville was the Sabres' captain and spent his career in Buffalo. It's awkward because the Wild are contenders way before we figured they'd be. It's awkward because ... well, didn't Terry Pegula saw the Sabres would be winning Cups instead of selling assets.

Derek Roy, Vancouver Canucks

AWKWARD SCALE: 5

He had already wiped away the Sabres memories by playing for the Dallas Stars. Awkward would have been if a Roy have been traded to the Canadiens.

Marian Gaborik, Columbus Blue Jackets

AWKWARD SCALE: 10

Gaborik traded from the Rangers? The Blue Jackets trading for a star winger ... with the RANGERS? Dogs and cats, living together. Mass hysteria.

Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning

AWKWARD SCALE: 1

Ottawa had an expendable player, and the Lightning have an untested goalie. Must be Wednesday.

Cory Conacher, Ottawa Senators

AWKWARD SCALE: 5

Weird seeing a potential Calder winner move, but he's still a rookie with limited attachment to the Bolts jersey.

Martin Erat, Washington Capitals

AWKWARD SCALE: 7

The career Predator asked for and received a trade. Bump this up to a 10 if Filip Forsberg becomes a star for Nashville.

Jaromir Jagr, Boston Bruins

AWKWARD SCALE: 7

The only reason this isn't a 10 is because Jagr is a hired gun these days, and frankly nothing is going to be more jarring than seeing him in the orange and black of the Flyers. That was, like, a 137 on the scale.

Derick Brassard, New York Rangers

AWKWARD SCALE: 2

It was more awkward to watch the Blue Jackets wait for him to find his game in Columbus.

Douglas Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins

AWKWARD SCALE: 7

A career Shark, it's mostly awkward to see a slow-moving defensive defenseman on the Penguins not named Hal Gill.

Ryane Clowe, New York Rangers

AWKWARD SCALE: 6

There were always rumors about Clowe being on the block, so it wasn't surprising to see him move. Not in comparison with seeing him finally score a goal.

Brenden Morrow, Pittsburgh Penguins

AWKWARD SCALE: 7

The former Dallas Stars captain wasn't going to be re-signed, so seeing him with new duds was inevitable.