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Washington Capitals F Martin Erat to Replace Vladimir Sobotka on Czech Republic Roster for Sochi

By Tasha St. Pierre

Nov 9, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Martin Erat (10) skates against the Phoenix Coyotes during the game at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Martin Erat (10) skates against the Phoenix Coyotes during the game at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 9, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Martin Erat (10) skates against the Phoenix Coyotes during the game at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Martin Erat (10) skates against the Phoenix Coyotes during the game at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

It would seem that there have been some unfortunate changes made to the Czech Republic’s Roster for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games. NHL.com is reporting that Washington Capitals right wing Martin Erat will be filling the hole left by St. Louis Blues left wing Vladimir Sobotka.

As some of you may already be aware, Sobotka was recently placed on the Injured Reserve by the Blues on Saturday after sustaining a leg injury.

Before being taken out with his injury, Sobotka had suited up for 46 games with the St. Louis Blues. In that time, he had already netted 7 goals and 18 assists for a total of 25 points to go along with his plus-17 rating.

While this may seem like a loss for the Czech Republic team, Sobotka’s replacement is far from a slouch. So far this season, Erat has suited up for 48 games with the Washington Capitals. In this time, he has registered 21 assists.

These are not bad numbers when you take into consideration that the Capitals currently have 11 players that are over the 20 point mark, and have the National Hockey League’s current leading goal scorer in their arsenal.

This is not the first time that Erat will skate on Olympic ice. Erat was a part of the Czech Republic team in both the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Olympic hockey is right around the corner. The Men’s competition kicks off on Wednesday, February 12th. Make sure to check back regularly at FanSided.com for all the latest news and updates, not just from your favorite teams, but all the action from the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

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