Martin Havlat

In Havlát's third year with the club, he notched his second-consecutive 20-goal campaign with 24 goals and 59 points before helping the Senators on a 2003 playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was criticized in the second round by Philadelphia Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock for his stickwork against the Flyers during the series. The Senators went on to eliminate Philadelphia in six games, but could not overcome the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the New Jersey Devils, in the third round. Havlát finished the playoffs with 11 points in 18 games.

Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Havlát spent the entirety of the following season back in the Czech Extraliga, as well as Russian Superleague (RSL), playing for several teams. As NHL play resumed in 2005–06, he was suspended once more early in the season on October 17, 2005, for five games following another kicking incident against Boston Bruins defenceman Hal Gill. After returning to the lineup, he suffered a shoulder injury against the Montreal Canadiens on November 29, which required surgery and kept him out for 59 games. He returned to the ice on April 15, 2006, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, almost exactly four months from the date of his surgery. After missing the majority of the regular season, Havlát enjoyed his most prolific playoffs as a Senator in 2006, recording 13 points in ten games as Ottawa was eliminated by the Buffalo Sabres in five games in the second round.

During the 2006 off-season, Havlát, a restricted free agent, told the Senators that he would only sign a one-year deal so he could then test the free agent market in the next off-season. As a result, on July 9, 2006, Havlát was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, along with Bryan Smolinski, in a three-way deal that also involved the San Jose Sharks acquiring Mark Bell for Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy. After the trade, Havlát signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Blackhawks. As his usual number 9 was retired by the Blackhawks for Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, he switched to 24.

On October 5, 2006, Havlát made his Blackhawks debut in outstanding fashion against the Nashville Predators by scoring two goals and two assists in an 8–6 win. Through the first seven games of the season, he was near or at the top of the League in scoring until he went down with an ankle sprain late in a game against the Dallas Stars on October 20, 2006. He returned to the Blackhawks lineup on December 9, 2006, against the Minnesota Wild, netting two goals and an assist, albeit in a losing effort. Havlát was also selected for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game that season. In April 2007, Havlát suffered a shoulder injury, which required off-season surgery. Despite a first season in Chicago partially marred by injuries, he produced at over a point-per-game pace, with 57 points in 56 games.

On July 1, 2009, Havlát signed a six-year, $30 million contract with the Minnesota Wild. Havlát wore number 14 in his first season with the Wild, but changed his number to 24 prior to the start of the 2010–11 season due to the off-season departure of forward Derek Boogaard, who wore the number previously.

On July 3, 2011, Havlát was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Dany Heatley. In the following 2011–12 season, on December 17, 2011, Havlát caught his skate on the bench and fell over the boards onto the ice, tearing his hamstring. He returned on March 17, 2012. On March 18, one day after returning, Havlát scored the game winning goal in overtime for the Sharks in defeating the Detroit Red Wings.

Havlát then represented the Czechs at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he scored three goals in the tournament. He missed the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin due to a shoulder injury. In the 2011 World Championships in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia, he was a member of the Czech team that claimed a bronze medal.

On May 1, 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks, Havlát suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the playoff quarter-finals. He returned in Game 3 of the semi-final on May 18 against the Los Angeles Kings, but suffered a spear from Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa 52 seconds into the game. In early June 2013, Havlát had a bilateral pelvic floor reconstruction and played his first game of the season on October 31, 2013. On December 31, he was placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury.

With his tenure with the Sharks largely affected by injury and a lack of productivity, Havlát became the first Sharks player in franchise history to be bought-out from the remaining year of his contract on June 27, 2014. Three days later, on July 1, Havlát, with the ambition to redeem himself, signed as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils.

After going unsigned by New Jersey at the end of the season and over the summer, Havlat agreed to a professional try-out agreement with the Florida Panthers. Upon failing to secure a contract with Florida, the 2015–16 season began without Havlat having a contract. Havlat made another attempt, signing another professional tryout agreement on October 27, 2015, this time with the St. Louis Blues, earning himself a one-year contract on November 6, 2015. Havlat made an immediate impact with the Blues, scoring the game-winning goal in his Blues debut in against former club the New Jersey Devils. After just 2 games, the St. Louis Blues placed Havlat on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, at the request of Havlat, citing personal reasons on November 13, 2015. In August 2016, while working out with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, Havlát revealed that he requested the contract termination due to a groin injury, and that he intended to continue to practice with the team with the aim of returning to the NHL. However, he failed to attract NHL interest and eventually stopped working out with the team on January 25, 2017 after re-injuring his groin. Havlát ultimately announced his retirement on February 8, 2017.