Amateur As a youth, Gerbe played in the 2001
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Honeybaked
minor ice hockey team. Gerbe played for the
Boston College Eagles of the
Hockey East conference in the
NCAA, and was drafted by the
Buffalo Sabres of the
National Hockey League (NHL) with the 142nd pick in the
2005 NHL entry draft. In the
2008 Frozen Four, he scored five goals in the final two games, leading his team to the championship, and was named the
tournament's most outstanding player. He was also a finalist for the
Hobey Baker Award in the
2007–08 season.
Professional On May 6, 2008, Gerbe signed his first professional contract, a three-year, entry-level with the Buffalo Sabres. During his tenure with the Sabres, he was referred to as a "Tasmanian Devil," a reference to his smaller size, but rough style of play. In an interview, Gerbe revealed that he idolized NHL player
Martin St. Louis who was also known for his small size and on-ice ability. He was assigned to the
Portland Pirates, the Sabres'
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, to start the 2008–09 season, but after the Sabres slumped early, on December 6, 2008, he was recalled by the team, playing in his first NHL regular season game, a 4–3 win over the
Tampa Bay Lightning. On December 13, Gerbe recorded his first NHL point against the
New Jersey Devils by assisting a
Drew Stafford goal. Gerbe was returned to the Sabres AHL affiliate, the
Portland Pirates, after six games. He was named to the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic, but could not play due to injury. He was awarded the
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for rookie of the year in the
2008–09 season of the AHL and finished with 30 goals and 56 points in 57 games. He was also named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. Despite having a good training camp Gerbe was assigned to Portland to start the 2009–10 season. He scored his first career NHL goal on December 9, 2009, against the
Washington Capitals. On December 30, it was announced that Gerbe had been named to the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic. He was recalled on March 28, 2010. After registering a goal and three points in eight games, on April 17, Gerbe was sent back to Portland to help the AHL team in their playoff run. On April 26, he scored his first NHL postseason goal in a 4–3 loss to the
Boston Bruins, which eliminated the Sabres from the playoffs. in
2012 Gerbe broke through as a regular for Sabres in the
2010–11 season, playing on the third and fourth lines. On January 21, 2011, he scored two goals in five seconds against the
New York Islanders, setting a franchise record for the fastest two goals by one player. He scored the only two goals in a 2–0 win over the
Montreal Canadiens on March 22. Gerbe finished the season playing in 64 games, scoring 16 goals and 31 points. On June 29, 2011, Gerbe re-signed with the Buffalo Sabres to a three-year deal worth $1.42 million per season, avoiding salary arbitration. This caused him to miss time and he eventually required spinal surgery during the summer. Upon completion of the
lockout-shortened
2012–13 season, Gerbe was placed on
waivers by the Sabres on July 3, 2013, with the intention of buying out the remainder of his contract. A free agent, Gerbe later agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the
Carolina Hurricanes on July 26. On June 24, 2014, Nathan Gerbe re-signed with the Hurricanes on a two-year, one-way contract. On July 1, 2016, having left the Hurricanes as a free agent, Gerbe signed a one-year deal with the
New York Rangers. However, Gerbe did not make the Rangers roster out of training camp and was sent down to the Rangers' AHL team, the
Hartford Wolf Pack. When Gerbe refused to report to the Wolf Pack, the Rangers placed him on unconditional waivers for release in order to terminate his contract. On October 14, 2016, Gerbe agreed to a three-year contract with Switzerland's
Genève-Servette HC of the
National League A (NLA). Gerbe made his NLA debut on October 21, on home-ice against
HC Ambrì-Piotta. He scored his first NLA goal on October 29, on home-ice against
HC Lugano in a 5–0 win. He finished his first season with 28 points (11 goals) in 26 games, before adding two assists in four playoffs games. Gerbe appeared in 13 regular season games with Genève-Servette HC in the
2017–18 season, scoring five points (one goal), before being taken out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. After an injury sustained during a team practice, Gerbe was put on the trade block by the team. He went on to play an additional six games, before being released on January 20, 2018, in order to get rid of his remaining million salary. In his playing time with Genève-Servette HC, he put up 35 points (13 goals) in 45 games, over two seasons. On January 24, 2018, it was announced that the
Columbus Blue Jackets signed Gerbe to a one-year, two-way contract for the rest of the
2017–18 season. After clearing waivers, Gerbe was assigned to the
Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. However, after
Markus Nutivaara was placed on injured reserve, Gerbe was called up to the NHL on February 21. He was reassigned to the Monsters a few days later on February 26, after recording no points in two games. In adding to the depth within the Blue Jackets organization, Gerbe agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension on March 15. Before the
2018–19 season, the Monsters named Gerbe team captain after going without one the previous season. After 13 professional seasons in the
National Hockey League (NHL), Gerbe announced his retirement on September 14, 2022. The same day he also announced he had joined the
Nashville Predators organization as the club's forward development coach. ==Career statistics==