Erat asks Capitals to trade him

Courtesy: CBSSports.com

Monday was an interesting day for the Washington Capitals as forward Martin Erat requested to be traded from the club that acquired him just last April.

Washington traded away their second-rated prospect, 2012’s first-round selection forward Filip Forsberg, to the Nashville Predators for Erat and now fourth-line center Michael Latta and this trade has essentially broken even. Latta has been a nice piece for the Capitals on the fourth line and also some spare shifts he contributes to on the penalty kill, but Erat, like Forsberg in Nashville, has been disappointing at best.

Forsberg has played in just 12 games with the Predators and has bounced around with their AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals this season. He has just five total points with one goal and four assists and has played to a -8 rating.

Erat has played in 23 games for the Capitals this season and is yet to score a goal. The 32-year-old has tallied just six assists in those games and has played to a 0 rating. Keep in mind, this is a guy who Washington pegged as a second-line player and much like the rest of his line, hasn’t lived up to his grade. Last season, he played in just 13 games while scoring just one goal and adding two helpers.

In a 2-1 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night, Erat was a healthy scratch in favor of recent healthy scratch Eric Fehr. Fehr had a decent game filling in for Erat and was the only player to score in the shootout rounds for Washington. Head coach Adam Oates has tinkered with his lineup throughout the season to try and get Erat going and more involved in the offense; Brooks Laich and Erat switched spots at wing and center Friday night versus the Montreal Canadiens to no avail.

Simply put, Erat doesn’t fit what the Capitals are trying to do and he is right in asking for a trade. He asked to be traded from Nashville last season because he didn’t want to be involved in the rebuilding process going on in Nashville. Arriving in D.C., he expected to win a Stanley Cup and subsequently got hurt, barely saw game action and his new team was bounced in the first round of the postseason by the New York Rangers.

Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy. However, professional sports is about putting up numbers and quality performances. Erat didn’t earn the right to really do anything in Washington and he realizes it would best suit him to leave. Considering this is the second time this season he has done so — he asked to be traded back in October while playing on the fourth line — he doesn’t fit the scheme and knows leaving will benefit both sides.

And he should.

General manager George McPhee has already said that he will not consider the idea of absorbing any of Erat’s salary in a possible trade. Currently, Erat is worth a $.5 million cap hit through the 2014-15 season and his salary is worth $3.75 million in 2013-14. His salary in 2014-15 is $2.25 million. It will be interesting to see what teams will offer up for a guy who has battled injuries and hasn’t performed well since the 2011-12 season.