On Thursday, J.P. Barry, representative for hopeful Canuck first liner Mats Sundin and current Canucks first liners Daniel and Henrik Sedin, was interviewed on the TEAM 1040 radio station in Vancouver. While throughout this past summer Barry has been answering questions regarding the future of the former Maple Leafs’ captain, Sundin, yesterday the most shocking news from Barry had nothing to do with the aging Swedish center.

Instead Barry revealed news regarding the future status of two young Swedish players in the prime of their careers: Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The Sedins, both 27, are coming off their two best seasons as professional hockey players. For the last two years, the Swedish twins from hockey factory Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, have led the Canucks in scoring, Daniel leading in goals and Henrik leading in assists.

But what their agent, Barry, had to say about them on Thursday did not have as much to do with whether the Sedins will put up the same kind of numbers this upcoming season, or whether they will benefit from not playing against teams’ top defensive pairings (if Mats Sundin does end up in Vancouver), but what Barry discussed was their contract status.

And the end of the upcoming NHL season, on July 1st, 2009, the Sedins will become unrestricted free agents for the first time in their careers. Teams will have the opportunity to bid on the two most consistent point getters in the Canucks’ and NHL’s recent past. And rest assured there will be many parties interested. This sentiment was echoed by Barry who referenced the Sedins point totals in comparison to others like Shawn Horcoff – another one of Barry’s clients – Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, to make the point that the Sedins will be commanding upwards of Horcoff’s $6 million per year, and in the range of the contracts of Drury and Gomez.

Barry relayed information that he and the Canucks have yet to speak about extending the Sedins contracts and that it may be a very realistic possibility that the twins test out the free agent market in efforts to receive what Barry believes to be fair market value. What the Sedins' agent seems to have failed to remember is that the Sedins are combined at the hip. Or so they should be because they seem to have always have been.

Dating back to when they were drafted, second and third overall in the 1999 NHL entry draft, it was no coincidence that Brian Burke was able trade Brian McCabe for a top three draft pick and then draft both the Sedins. They wanted to play together, they always had. It may or may not have been a case that they wouldn’t have played if they couldn’t play together but Daniel and Henrik were drafted – in that order – together and have played together ever since.

So if the Canucks for some reason do not have the Sedins signed to an extension before July 1st, 2009 – and I could not think of a reason why they wouldn’t except if it’s the Sedins’ desire to test out the free agent market – then J.P. Barry and his two twin clients are in for a surprise come next summer. Because of the fact that the Sedins come together, they will not receive – individually – what their agent believes to be fair market value: upwards of $6-7 million per season.

Realistically, the only teams that could afford to bring in two players both at high price tags like that are teams that are rebuilding and have the cap space. Teams that do no have the cap space could not afford it. And teams that do have cap space but are not rebuilding would be foolish to spend all of their cap space on two players. The right situation has to arise.

All indications lead us to believe that the Sedins are down to earth individuals; Players that want to win and would probably take a discount to do so. The Sedins have to find a buyer that has a chance to win and is able to pay them the highest price possible. That may be difficult. If they do no believe that the Canucks give them the chance to win and they decide against giving Vancouver another hometown discount, then it may in fact come down to the Sedins having to give another type of discount to their new team: a brotherly one.