"NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr talked a lot Saturday about the upcoming collective bargaining agreement. But both said little about the whole situation.

It's a subject that will be in the spotlight from now through an uncertain offseason, with the CBA set to expire Sept. 15. But in town for NHL All-Star weekend, neither side was willing to show its cards publicly. Instead, Bettman and Fehr cautioned that there's plenty of time to work things out, even though negotiations haven't really started yet.

"My guess is, at least informally we'll have some discussions in the not-too-distant future," Bettman said. "We're patient. I'm not concerned about the time frame.""