Martin Necas re-signing in Carolina could leave more suitors for a Patrik Laine trade

Not long after requesting a change of scenery from the Carolina Hurricanes, forward Martin Necas opted to sign a two-year extension with the team. The extension takes him right up to unrestricted free agency, which honestly stinks for the Canes.

For the Blue Jackets, however, this could actually be good news. Since it came to light early in the off-season that Patrik Laine had requested a trade out of Columbus sometime earlier in the year, his name has been in rumors throughout the league.

In fact, many had pondered a trade surrounding Necas for Laine - something that gave me pause. While I love Martin Necas as a player, I don't think he's the solution to this team's center woes. And, the last thing they need is another skilled winger eating up top-six cap space. That roster construction has not worked in Columbus.

Necas re-signing in Carolina takes one of the most valuable trade chips off of the market. It also means the Canes will be out of any likely Patrik Laine sweepstakes. But, could it mean that teams will circle back to Columbus and re-inquire on Laine?

This could definitely be the case. And, now that Laine is out of the NHLPA's Players Assistance program: teams can talk directly to him to gauge his interest level.

While things have not gone swimmingly with Laine and the Blue Jackets, this is still an extremely talented player, who is still just 26 years old. With two years left on his contract, his $8.7 million dollar AAV may be hard for some teams to take on - but, there is no shortage of teams looking to add scoring this summer. And, the Blue Jackets have some cap space to either take salary in return, or retain on a deal.

With the scoring winger market just becoming even more scarce, the price on Laine may be going up. In a round-about way, the Canes may have just helped their former GM find an easier way out of a big pickle.

There have been many reported potential suitors, so we should keep our fingers crossed that one of them comes forward with an acceptable offer. Whether it's current NHL pieces or futures (draft picks and prospects), the Blue Jackets would be wise to button up this situation before training camp kicks off. This team needs to try to avoid any kind of distraction this season.