NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The process of NHL expansion is a slow one — and commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated that again Saturday afternoon during his annual press briefing before the skills competition at All-Star weekend.

“The process is continuing,” Bettman said, “but we are not ready to make a recommendation. That’s something that will be done in the next few months.”

There are two applications being contemplated for Las Vegas and Quebec City, and although Seattle wanted to get in, Bettman said, “if somebody wanted to give us an application right now, we wouldn’t take it.” But there is no rush in making sure that one or both of the team is ready to play starting in the 2017-18 seasons.

“As long as there’s at least a year lead time, we could make ’17-’18, but if we don’t make ’17-’18, we don’t make ’17-’18,” Bettman said. “We’re not running a 60-minute game here where the clock is going to run out. We get to do this is in orderly and deliberate fashion.”

It also doesn’t help that the Canadian dollar has dropped significantly this year, currently 72 cents to the American dollar. With seven teams in Canada, that takes away hockey-related revenue, and makes the foundation of the proposal in Quebec City a little shakier.

“Could that be a factor? I don’t know,” Bettman said. “We haven’t completed our deliberations.”

Another factor of the Canadian dollar going down is the salary cap for next season could not rise at all off its current limit of $71.4 million. Neither Bettman nor deputy commissioner Bill Daly was willing to take a guess at where it might land after negotiations with the Players’ Association.

“There is a formula contemplated in the CBA, and I wouldn’t see us veering far from that in a material way,” Daly said. “But it’s always a negotiated number.”

With the Islanders struggling to draw large crowds in their first season at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Bettman assessed the situation — and took the opportunity to fire a dig at the Coliseum.

“As the fans get accustomed to a different place, and to a new and modern environment, obviously Barclays is an upgrade to the Nassau Coliseum — and that’s probably an understatement,” Bettman said. “But people have to adjust going to another place.

“Obviously the building wasn’t designed for hockey, but I think the people at Barclays have done a good job adjusting, and I think in time, it’s only going to get better and better fan experience.”

There was no denial from Bettman that someone from the league called John Scott and asked him if playing in the All-Star game, “is something your kids would be proud of?” The slow-footed enforcer said that happened in his essay for the Players’ Tribune, and Bettman wouldn’t refute it.

“I’m not going to get into who said what,” Bettman said. “Those discussions aren’t particularly relevant, because he made the decision to be here, and we’re all good with that.”

Bettman announced the 2017 NHL All-Star game will be at Staples Center in Los Angeles, as the Kings are celebrating their 50th anniversary and the league celebrates its centennial.

In the aftermath of female hockey player Denna Laing suffering a difficult spinal injury during their outdoor game at the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, the NHL is now donating $200,000 “to assist Deena Laing in her rehabilitation and recovery from her injuries she suffered from at Foxborough,” Bettman said.

TicketMaster and Honda, two of the league’s partners, are also donating a retrofitted minivan to help Laing.