When defenseman Mark Alt was claimed by the Avalanche off waivers from Philadelphia on Feb. 26, a tryout opportunity with Colorado began.
Avs coach said as much about the pending unrestricted free agent in the ensuing days after the acquisition.
Alt is no longer a free agent, after agreeing to a two-year, two-way contract with Colorado on Thursday. He has the potential to make $1.45 million over the life of the contract, but will be paid far less if he’s assigned to the team’s new American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles in Loveland.
Alt, 26, made his Avalanche debut March 24, nearly a month after he was acquired, and played in seven of Colorado’s final eight regular-season games. He did not play in the Avs’ six-game playoff series against Nashville, which won the series 4-2.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., where his father, John Alt, was a lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, Mark was drafted by the in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2010 NHL draft, before beginning his three-year career with the University of Minnesota.
He made his NHL debut with the Flyers in 2014-15 but played just nine career games with Philadelphia before being waived and claimed by Colorado.
The Avs now have seven defensemen under contract, plus 19-year-old Conor Timmins, who will begin his three-year, entry-level contract next season. Those other defensemen under contract are , , , Sam Girard, and David Warsofsky. Blue-liners Patrick Nemeth and are restricted free agents and Mark Barbario is an unrestricted free agent.
