Who will Chicago move to announce signings?

Rumors abounded Wednesday of the Hawks either waiving veteran defenseman Brent Sopel or trying to trade him and his $2.33 million cap hit to create “tagging room” for the contracts of Keith, Toews and Kane.

The name of defenseman Cam Barker also has surfaced in trade rumors. Barker has a $3 million cap hit and is signed for this season and two more.

The Hawks promised to take care of Keith, and they have. Keith is one of the NHL’s biggest bargains with a salary of $1.9 million, which makes him the fifth-highest-paid defenseman on the Hawks’ roster.

“I had no problem with that contract I signed,” Keith said recently. “I was happy with it and I’m still happy with it. It’s still a fair penny when it comes down to it.

“I have fun playing here and that’s the main thing, being with an organization where you want to be.”

Both Toews and Kane also have said they had no interest in becoming free agents.

“This is where we want to be,” Toews said two weeks ago.

The Hawks have eight expiring contracts after this season, which plays into the formula the NHL uses to determine tagging room for 2010-11.

Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jordan Hendry and Antti Niemi will be restricted free agents. John Madden and Adam Burish will be unrestricted free agents.

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Barker?

Sopel?

Sharp?

Who knows at this point.