Trio of deals imminent

CHICAGO – From their first Prospects Camp in the summer of 2007, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have experienced just about everything in their Blackhawks careers together. Now that the young forwards are poised to sign contract extensions, fittingly they likely will do so at the same time.

With just some loose ends to tie up, Toews and Kane are expected to sign five-year deals worth $6 million annually, according to TSN in Canada.

Defenseman Duncan Keith will sign a 13-year deal, also according to TSN, for less money annually.

Thus the club will keep the potential restricted free agents long-term.

“It’s nicer to get it done all at the same time rather than one guy and then another and then maybe one has to wait even longer than that,” Kane said Tuesday. “For me, if we all get done at the same time it will be better ... all three of us even, because there’s so much ... talk in the media, ‘Are all three of us going to get signed? Is one of us going to go?’ ... Would it be nice to get it done sooner than later? Yeah, why not? Get it out of the way.”

With the signings likely coming soon, the Hawks figure to solidify their future with a solid core.

“We’ve been in a lot of the same situations, been together and included in every event and every little thing whether it’s playing games on the road or the Winter Classic and all these things on and off the ice that we do,” Toews, 21, said of being linked with Kane.

“We’re not sure how [signing] is going to happen, but ... it’s hard to separate us. ... We’re all just excited to be in a situation where hopefully the fans want us to stay here for a long time because we do too.”

Keith, the more veteran of the trio, is in accordance with his younger teammates.

“We all obviously would like to stay here and like it here,” Keith, 26, said. “It’s a good group of guys. The sooner we get a deal done, the better it is for me and the team, I hope. It’s a good feeling to be wanted like this and to be a part of this group is pretty special.”