Jaromir Jagr, fresh from a fourth consecutive Art Ross Trophy with the Pittsburgh Penguins, brooding star Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators' much-maligned centre Alexei Yashin are on the block.
Buffalo Sabres centre Michael Peca, who sat out last season in a contract dispute, is also being shopped.
And restricted free agents like Edmonton star Doug Weight and Boston centre Jason Allison, as well as Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Dominik Hasek, are reported to be available.
Dan Blackburn of the Kootenay Ice will be drafted early on Saturday.(CP Photo)
It's unlikely all will change teams on Saturday, but draft day has produced blockbusters and minor deals in the past and the quality of skaters on the table this time suggest the movement of veterans may overshadow the picking of 18-year-olds on the National Car Rental Arena draft floor.
The trading began on Friday, when the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt winger Sergei Berezin to Phoenix for the rights to winger Mikael Renberg, who played last season in Sweden but has signed a multi-year contract with Toronto.
Also, Tampa Bay shipped defenceman Adrian Aucoin and forward Alexander Kharitov to the New York Islanders for defensive prospect Mathieu Biron and a second-round pick next year.
Teams are also trying to deal up to get the top two draft picks on Saturday.
The Montreal Canadiens expect to go down to the final minute to try to pry the No. 1 overall choice from the Atlanta Thrashers and use it to select the concensus top prospect, Ilya Kovalchuk of Spartak Moscow.
While Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said this week he was leaning toward keeping the pick, he is also said to be seeking a goaltender, the one area in which Montreal has depth.
The asking price is said to be young goalie Jose Theodore, another player, plus the Canadiens' seventh-overall pick. Montreal also has the 25th pick from a late-season trade that sent centre Trevor Linden to Washington.
"It's in their hands," said Canadiens general manager Andre Savard, who is expected to pull some major off-season moves to quiet disgruntled Montreal fans.
"The door is not closed. These things can change.
"When I traded Linden, if you had asked me the day before if it would happen, I would probably have said no. But things changed and the deal got done."
The Islanders have the second overall pick and general manager Mike Milbury, who pulled off a blockbuster at last year's draft to get goalie Rick DiPietro with the No. 1 selection, is looking to deal again -- this time for veteran help.
If he can't land Jagr or Yashin in a trade, he may go after some of the high profile unrestricted free agents that become available on July 1, among them Joe Sakic, Rob Blake, Patrick Roy, Jeremy Roenick, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull and Alexander Mogilny.
"Twelve of the top 18 high-scoring forwards are up for grabs in a trade or as a free agent," Milbury told the New York Post. "That's remarkable.
"And there are more dollars in the till (for us) to spend than ever before."
The Islanders, because of their high pick and a number of young players in their system, are one of the top candidates among seven teams reportedly interested in landing Yashin, but they could also take a run at Jagr.
"We need to find a way to get an immediate jump in our on-ice product and that usually comes with a name," added Milbury.
Lindros has reportedly refused to be traded to the Islanders and a report Friday said a deal to ship Lindros to Detroit was nixed when the Red Wings refused to include centre Sergei Fedorov.
The New York Rangers, who have the No. 10 pick, and the Los Angeles Kings are reported to be front-runners in the bidding for Jagr, who is owed more than $20 million US on the final two years of his contract.
Ottawa likes Peca, but the Sabres are not expected to deal him to a Northeast Division rival.
Money and circumstance have put so many top players on the trade market.
For Lindros, it was six concussions and a long-running feud with Flyers general manager Bob Clarke.
In Jagr's case, it was budget-slashing under Mario Lemieux's new ownership.
Yashin burned his bridges with Ottawa fans by holding out for a year, then bombing in the playoffs this spring.
Peca sat out last season in a contract dispute and now says he won't return to Buffalo.
By Bill Beacon
