Martin was selected him in the fifth round (No. 148) of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Islanders. He earned a spot with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League as a walk-on and played alongside future Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. Martin scored 63 goals and 109 points in 166 games for Sarnia.

He had two assists in his NHL debut against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 9, 2010, though he played most of his first pro season with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Martin scored his first NHL goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 29, 2010.

Along with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, he was part of one of the most effective fourth lines in the NHL and set NHL career highs in goals (10) and points (19) in 2015-16, helping the Islanders win a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time since 1993. He signed a four-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2016.

After two seasons with the Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Islanders on July 3, 2018. Reunited with Cizikas and Clutterbuck, Martin had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 67 games in 2018-19 and helped New York reach the second round of the playoffs.

Martin retired from the NHL and was named a special assistant to Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche on June 24, 2025, ending his playing career with 178 points (81 goals, 97 assists) in 987 regular-season games for the Islanders and Maple Leafs and 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 88 playoff games. He led the NHL in hits for five straight seasons from 2011-16, and is second in League history with 3,936 behind Clutterbuck (4,029).

Martin's father-in-law is former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason.