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Q&A with Michael Farber NHL offseason will be one of the most exciting ever
Sports Illustrated NHL writer Michael Farber chatted with CNNSI.com about some big names to watch out for as NHL front offices convene for this Saturday's draft: CNNSI.com: Jaromir Jagr, Eric Lindros, Sergei Fedorov, Alexei Yashin. Will these top four superstars sport new uniforms next season? Michael Farber: Absolutely. I think all those players will be traded. I expect Jagr to be gone from Pittsburgh by Saturday's draft. He will make $20.7 million over the next two seasons and he is a four-time scoring champion. That being said, if you were the New York Rangers, for example, and you want to spend that kind of money on a top player, why would you trade for Jagr when there are free agents out there like Joe Sakic who are going to command that same kind of money? That way you can hold onto someone like defenseman Thomas Kloucek and get a frontline player. But there will be a market for Jagr. Lindros will be traded if he expands his list and there will be other surprises, including Michael Peca and Alexei Yashin, in the next two weeks, in my opinion. CNNSI.com: You mentioned Sakic. Can Colorado keeps its roster together? Sakic, Rob Blake and Patrick Roy are all scheduled to become free agents... Farber: The first decision here has to be made by Raymond Bourque. Is he going to come back for another year or is he going to go? If he comes back, he makes more than $6 million. If he goes, he gets a $1 million parting gift -- not a bad deal. So if Bourque does leave, then Rob Blake becomes a priority. I think you'll see the NHL Players Association get very involved in Blake's contract. It will be a market setter -- it'll be close to what Chris Pronger is making with the Blues, almost $10 million a year. I think Joe Sakic will re-sign, although there will be lots of offers for him. I think Patrick Roy is a near certainty to stay. In order for Colorado to keep these free agents, the guy who may go in all this is Peter Forsberg, who will be making $10 million a year. If the Avalanche can't afford everybody, look for Forsberg to be added to that list of top quality players who will be traded in the most exciting offseason in NHL history. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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