Welcome to the Nashville Predators All-Time 25 in 25. In this series, we at The Hockey Writers will unveil the top 25 players in franchise history in honor of the organization’s 25th anniversary. Starting Sept. 18, we will unveil a new player every day until the Predators’ home opener at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 12. Join us along for the ride as we celebrate 25 years of hockey in Nashville. At 13—Martin Erat.
The Predators Find a Late-Round Steal
For Erat’s impact on the Nashville Predators, it’s surprising to remember where the team picked him in the draft. General manager (GM) David Poile selected him 191st-overall in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. In their second-ever draft, the Predators snagged a cornerstone franchise piece who contributed consistently for over a decade.
Erat made his NHL debut in the 2001-02 season. He scored nine goals and 33 points in 80 games. He didn’t set the league on fire, but for a seventh-round pick, 30 points is a fantastic mark. As we all know, Erat significantly improved on his rookie season, becoming one of the best scorers in Predators history.
Erat’s Consistent Career With The Predators
Consistency defines Erat’s career with the Predators. In eight straight seasons, he scored a minimum of 49 points while breaking the 50-point threshold in five. He notched 20-plus goals three times with the Preds, his career high coming in 2007-08 where he got 23. His best point-scoring season came in 2011-12, as he set a career-high of 58 points in 71 games.
Playoff success came at the tail-end of his Predators tenure. The organization finally broke their first-round curse in the 2011 Playoffs and proved it wasn’t a fluke, doing the same thing the following season. While Erat wasn’t a superstar in the playoffs, he contributed mightily to the team getting over their Round 1 hump. He scored 10 points in 20 games spanning those two years. Following these back-to-back second-round seasons, the Predators were on track to miss the playoffs in 2012-13. Still desperate for a Stanley Cup ring to cap off his illustrious NHL career, Erat asked for a trade midseason.
In the Predators record book, Erat is fourth in games played (723), goals (163), and points (481) and is third in assists (318).
Erat Asks Out
Erat earned the right to ask for a trade and pursue his dream of the Stanley Cup. He gave his heart and soul to the Predators, and with the team on a downward trajectory in the 2012-13 season, it was in the best interest of both parties that the Predators found a suitor for Erat’s talents. It didn’t take long for someone to trade for the winger.
The Predators struck a deal with the Washington Capitals at the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline. The Caps acquired Erat and depth center Michael Latta for Filip Forsberg. The now infamous Forsberg for Erat trade is the crown jewel of bad deadline-day deals. At the time, the trade seemed somewhat fair. Despite a mediocre 17-17-3 record, the Capitals wanted to capitalize on Alex Ovechkin’s prime and make a push for the playoffs. Their top prospect, Forsberg, became expendable in pursuing Lord Stanley.
Erat scored three points in nine regular-season games with the Capitals to cap off the season. In the playoffs, he went scoreless in four contests. The deal became Poile’s crème de la crème for trades. In return for arguably the best scorer in franchise history, he netted the Predators’ next great point producer in Forsberg. By asking for a trade, Erat helped build the future of Predators hockey, adding to the lore of his time with the organization.
Related: Predators’ Top 25 Players of All-Time: Dan Hamhuis
Erat is one of the best pure scorers to ever play for the Predators. He ranks in the top four in every scoring metric for the organization, scored at a near 50-point-per-game pace for almost a decade, and helped the franchise finally get out of the first round. In return for his contributions, Poile and company did right by Erat when he asked for a trade. They shipped him off to the Capitals, and in return, managed to get what ended up as the most prolific goal scorer in the organization’s 25-year history – Forsberg.
