He was part of a successful program at the University of Minnesota in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

During the 2009–10 season, Martin suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left forearm, playing in just 22 games and scoring a career-low 11 points.

Martin signed a five-year, US$25 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010.

On July 1, 2015, Martin was signed as a free agent to a four-year, $19.4 million deal with the San Jose Sharks.

On January 16, 2018, the Sharks assigned Martin to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.