The Washington Capitals made a bold move at last year’s trade deadline to acquire top-six winger Martin Erat and forward Michael Latta from the Nashville Predators in exchange for top prospect and 2012 first-round pick Filip Forsberg.
After failing to make an impact offensively in Washington and being relegated to the fourth line at times, Erat wants out. On Monday, the 32-year-old told reporters that he asked the Capitals to trade him, per CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley.
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Moving him to another team could be a difficult challenge for general manager George McPhee. Erat has two years left on his contract with a salary cap hit of $4.5 million, per CapGeek. That’s a lot of money for a forward who is performing at a third-line level and has tallied zero goals and just six assists in 23 games this season.
With that said, the Capitals will make an attempt to trade him.
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The Capitals could retain some of his salary to lessen the financial commitment on potential trade partners, but this type of situation is rare. At this point, if Washington can acquire anything from a second to fourth-round pick in exchange for Erat, then a deal should be made.
