Bettman Starts Quiet Exit Talks as NHL Eyes the Next Era

Gary Bettman is saying the quiet part out loud now - he knows he cannot run this league forever, and the succession chatter has officially begun. That does not mean the commissioner is heading for the door tomorrow, but it does mean the NHL is at least mapping out the future instead of pretending the chair is eternal. Around this league, those conversations matter because every power shift in the boardroom eventually spills onto the ice, the salary cap, and the business side of the sport.