Martinez, 32, joins the Golden Knights after spending all of his career with the Kings since he broke into the league in the 2009-10 season. In 597 games, the Rochester Hills, Michigan, native has 198 points (62G, 136A) and has collected 68 of those points on the power play.
As he descended the escalator at McCarran Airport to claim his bags after making the flight to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, he was greeted by Chance, the Vegas Belles, Vegas Vivas and Knight Line who celebrated his arrival in true Golden Knights fashion.
"My welcome at the airport… that caught me off-guard," Martinez said with a smile. "I wasn't expecting that but that was really cool."
The trade was one that General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said was the product of consideration among management on how it could improve the team's roster ahead of Monday's deadline.
"This was a move that we had considered for a long time," McCrimmon said. "We identified this as a way we wanted to improve our team - to add a defenseman of this caliber. We plan to continue to work right up to the deadline to see if there are any deals out there that will help improve our team."
A key aspect of the trade for McCrimmon was the extra year on Martinez's contract. The defenseman has one more year on his contract which will have him back in Vegas again next season. McCrimmon is pleased that Martinez isn't a rental player for the Golden Knights.
"That second year is really important," said McCrimmon. "This is the player that we identified with the skillset that we feel could complement our existing team the best."
When he arrived at City National Arena on Thursday for the first time as a Golden Knight, Martinez saw a familiar face in defenseman Brayden McNabb who he played with for three seasons as a member of the Kings. McNabb spoke highly of Martinez after learning the two would be teammates once again.
"He's a great guy," McNabb said. "He's an awesome teammate and he's fun to be around. On the ice, he's a great player with a ton of experience and two Stanley Cups. He plays the game the right way."
Martinez will play his first game as a Golden Knight on Thursday as Vegas hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning. His past experiences at T-Mobile Arena as a visitor stood out in his mind when asked about hitting the ice for the first time with his new team and he's excited to wear the home sweater at The Fortress.
"I'd say that [T-Mobile Arena] instantly became the best building to play in in the NHL," Martinez said. "We learned the hard way in the playoffs when it was probably the loudest building I'd ever played in. I'm certainly excited to be part of it on the good side of things."
