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NHL Commissioner's Update Might be Bad News for 2026 NHL All-Star Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The future of the NHL's All-Star Game remains unclear as the league evaluates its approach following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday that discussions are ongoing ahead of the 2026 event, set to be hosted by the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

"We're reevaluating how we want to do things because I think we've raised the bar about as high as you can for an all-star game in any sport," Bettman said at the NHL’s general manager meetings. "And so we want to make sure whatever we do is up to the standards that we've created."

The 4 Nations tournament, which replaced this season’s All-Star festivities, featured NHL stars from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

Gary Bettman confirms the NHL isn't committed to holding the 2026 All-Star Game. Ongoing discussions about where things go. He says the 4 Nations Face-Off "raised the bar."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 19, 2025

Canada won the event on Connor McDavid’s overtime goal against the United States, marking the NHL’s first best-on-best international competition since the 2016 World Cup.

Bettman did not confirm whether the tournament would permanently replace the All-Star Game but emphasized that discussions are ongoing.

"We've promised the Islanders an event," Bettman said. "We're focused on what we need to do. I don't want to be pinned down in this moment."

Bettman also confirmed that the NHL will meet with the IIHF later this month to finalize details for its return to Olympic participation in 2026 after missing the last two Winter Games.

Aside from the All-Star discussion, Bettman addressed other league matters, including upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations, with talks between the NHL and the NHLPA expected to begin the week of April 1.

Bettman also ruled out any changes to the NHL’s playoff format despite ongoing debate about potential adjustments.

"I like exactly what we have," Bettman said. "If you look at the races that we're having in the regular season, playoffs have started already."

The league will also debut a decentralized draft format in Los Angeles this summer.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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