All-Star 11 Games: NHL, NHLPA Put 'A Lot Of Brainpower' In Creating New All-Star Weekend Format
RALEIGH, N.C. – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly, held their annual Stanley Cup final availability hours before Game 1 began between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.
Among the items revealed, with the help of NHLPA head Marty Walsh, was a new All-Star Game format for next season, where the event will be hosted by the New York Islanders.
Most notable for Islanders fans will be the skills competition, which will only feature players 25 and under – which, of course, would include Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer.
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In the meantime, the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and other superstars are indeed eligible to play at the 2027 All-Star Game, which goes international for the first time since 2002. Walsh noted that all-star games can get stale in any pro sport, so this twist intrigues. His lieutenant agreed.
"We've put a lot of brainpower behind coming up with the next look and what the best format would be," said NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey. "This is a little different with the countries, adding some flavor as we head through 4 Nations, Olympics and towards the World Cup."
The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 potential players for each team, then turn things over to a fan vote. The fans will select eight of the players on each squad, while the NHL and union will pick the final forward, defenseman and goalie.
Each team will play four five-minute games in a round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to a 10-minute final with a $2 million purse on the line. In total, there will be 10 round-robin mini games and one final.
In other news, Bettman, 74, was once again coy when asked about his future as commissioner. As per usual, he was mum on any succession plan.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 3:57 PM.