Martin Erat

Lore & Background

Erat made his NHL debut in 2001–02 as a member of the "vowel line" with Vladimír Országh and Denis Arkhipov, setting a Nashville rookie record for games played (80), assists (24), and points (33). After a difficult sophomore season spent mostly in the AHL, he changed his jersey number from 19 to 10 and rebounded in 2003–04 with career highs in goals (16), assists (33), and points (49). During the 2004–05 lockout, he played for HC Zlín of the Czech Extraliga, finishing eighth in league scoring. He later emerged as a first-line player alongside Paul Kariya and David Legwand, but missed the final five weeks of the 2006–07 season with a torn MCL.

On April 3, 2013, Erat was traded to the Washington Capitals at the NHL trade deadline in exchange for prospect Filip Forsberg, after requesting the trade and waiving his no-trade clause. His tenure in Washington was brief and marked by further trade requests: he asked for a trade in October 2013 after being demoted to the fourth line, and again on November 25, 2013, after being a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. On March 4, 2014, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes alongside John Mitchell for Chris Brown, Rostislav Klesla, and a fourth-round pick. After 13 NHL seasons, he left North America and signed with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, later returning to the Czech Extraliga with HC Kometa Brno, where he helped the team win its 12th championship in 2017 after a 51-year drought. He retired on May 30, 2019.

Reader's Guide

Martin Erat's NHL career spanned 13 seasons and 881 regular season games, primarily with the Nashville Predators, where he developed from a seventh-round draft pick into a consistent top-six forward. He set early rookie records for Nashville and later posted career highs of 23 goals and 57 points. His tenure with the Washington Capitals was notable for his trade requests: he asked to be moved from Nashville and then, after just eight months in Washington, requested a trade twice more, citing demotion to the fourth line and being a healthy scratch. These events led to his departure to the Phoenix Coyotes at the 2014 trade deadline. Internationally, Erat represented the Czech Republic at multiple Winter Olympics (2006, 2014, 2018) and won a bronze medal in 2006, as well as a silver medal at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. After leaving the NHL, he continued his career in the KHL and Czech Extraliga, winning a Czech championship with HC Kometa Brno in 2017, ending a 51-year title drought for the club. His career illustrates a player who achieved consistent NHL production but whose time in Washington was defined by dissatisfaction and multiple trade demands.

Did You Know?

• Erat's first NHL point was a game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames on October 11, 2001.
• He was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for prospect Filip Forsberg on April 3, 2013.
• Erat requested a trade from the Capitals twice within eight months, the second time after being a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.
• He helped HC Kometa Brno win its 12th championship in 2017, ending a 51-year drought.