NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday that talks with the National Hockey League Players’ Association on the next collective bargaining agreement will begin in the first week of April.

Bettman commented on the CBA talks — and more — in a conversation with reporters at the NHL general managers meetings in Manalapan, Fla.

The current CBA expires after the 2025-26 season, which Bettman announced will begin Oct. 7.

“I’m hoping we can do this quickly, quietly and painlessly,” Bettman said about the CBA negotiations.

Bettman seemingly took two topics off the table almost immediately: extending overtime and changes to the postseason format.

“I’m not a fan of the extended overtime because of ice conditions and the wear and tear on the players who would be playing the additional five minutes,” Bettman said.

And Bettman said the current playoff format brings the ultimate in excitement, despite some criticism that teams finishing second and third in their divisions meet each other in the first round, knocking out some teams that are viewed as having Stanley Cup chances.

“I’m pretty dug in on this,” Bettman said. “I like exactly what we have and if you look at the races that we’re having for the regular season, playoffs have started already. We’re in our play-in tournament. Best team to win the Cup has got to get through the best teams. And having great matchups in the first rounds, that’s not a problem, that’s a great thing.”

And finally, Bettman said the New York Islanders will host some sort of “all-star” event in their arena in 2026, but the format has yet to be determined.

The success of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament — held in lieu of a traditional All-Star Game — “raised the bar,” the commissioner said.

–Field Level Media