Martin Erat wants out of Washington.
The Czech winger, who’s scored just one goal in 32 games since being acquired from Nashville last season, has informed the Capitals of his desire to be traded, according to CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley.
“It’s time for me to move on,” the 32-year-old said.
The confirmation comes shortly after an article surfaced from Czech news agency iDNES.cz, in which Erat (translation courtesy Russian Machine Never Breaks) said he wants to get out of Washington “as soon as possible.”
“I get no time on the ice, it’s hard to prove my ability with only ten to twelve minutes of ice time,” Erat explained. “At the beginning of the season it was only about seven minutes, and then it went up, so [Adam Oates] let me play more defense than offense.”
News of Erat’s unhappiness shouldn’t come as a surprise. He has a history with demanding trades, having forced his way out of Nashville -- “I can’t sugarcoat it, it’s really disappointing,” said Preds GM David Poile -- and Erat has already alluded to his desire to bolt Washington earlier this season, criticizing his role in the offense and lack of playing time overall.
When asked in early October if he’d already considered the possibility of demanding a trade, Erat offered a cryptic reply.
“No, not yet. I know what I can do. We’ll see what happens.”
Erat has two seasons left on a seven-year, $31.5 million deal that carries an average annual cap hit of $4.5 million. He’s been a major disappointment this season, failing to score a goal in 23 games while registering just six assists. He’s also averaging 13:08 TOI per game, his lowest average since his sophomore season in Nashville.
