The 2026 NY Islanders hosted All-Star Weekend may have a different look

The New York Islanders are supposed to host the 2026 All-Star Game at UBS Arena.

Isles legends Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier announced during intermission at the Stadium Series matchup against the New York Rangers at MetLife Stadium last February. It was a natural progression for the new arena, which has since introduced The Park at UBS Arena and luxury retail space, the calling card of majority owner Scott Malkin.

At the GM Meetings on Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed on Wednesday that the league is "re-evaluating" the format in New York after the 4 Nations Face-off "raised the bar" for what All-Star Weekend should be for the league in the years to come. The good news is that Bettman committed to the Islanders and Long Island getting "an event" but the league is not going to pin down an exact format just yet.

The NHL has tried all types of formats throughout its history. From 1947 to 1968, the previous season's Stanley Cup champions played the All-Stars from other teams. Starting in 1969, the league was very traditional, with the Wales Conference battling the Campbell Conference, which would later become the Eastern vs. Western Conference in the 1994-95 season. There was also North America vs. The World as NHL players started participaing in the Winter Olympics.

In recent years, the format has become more gimmicky, with the players selecting the teams in a fantasy-type format and a 3-on-3 format with two 20-minute games followed by another 20-minute game to decide the winner. The ratings success of the 4 Nations Face-off is something the league can't ignore, and it's not a negative reflection on UBS Arena or the Islanders that they're not committing to a traditional All-Star Game format at this time. In fact, Islanders fans who'll be in attendance may get something far better.