UPDATED WITH JOE SAKIC QUOTES:


The Avalanche were quiet Monday, NHL trading deadline day, before their game against Vancouver at the Pepsi Center.

Here are the GAME NOTES.

"We knew it was going to be quiet," general manager Joe Sakic said. "Not a lot going on, a lot of conversations about different possibilities, but we weren't in the rental market. We want to stay the course and this will be a fun team to watch. We've got a great group of kids, great team with a lot of chemistry. Hopefully we can win some games and put ourselves in good position."

They claimed defenseman Mark Alt on waivers from Philadelphia -- he'll join the Avalanche -- and traded once-promising defense prospect Chris Bigras to the New York Rangers for minor league defenseman Ryan Graves, who will report to San Antonio of the AHL.

"We didn't want to change up the lineup," Sakic said. "Our guys believe, and we believe in them," Sakic said. "We want to keep this team together. They're growing together, they're learning. They're going through some ups and downs, that's what this year is for. We're starting this process and part of it is to go through it facing adversity, go through ups and downs, and keep fighting for a playoff spot."

The Rangers fourth-round pick (No. 110) in the 2013 NHL draft, Graves, 22, was in his third season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 57 games. Overall, he has 62 points (21 goals, 41 assists) in 207 games with Hartford.

Graves, who is 6-feet-5 and 206 pounds, is from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

"He's got size, good reach, he can shoot the puck," Sakic said. "He can hold the puck. He's long and lanky, good reach, a good defender."

Bigras, 23, was the Avalanche's second-round pick (No. 32) in 2013. He had six points (one goal, five assists) in 20 games with San Antonio this season. Overall, Bigras played in 46 games with the Avalanche and had four points (one goal, three assists).

"Both teams felt it was a lateral deal, give both players a change of scenery," Sakic said.

Alt, 26, will give coach Jared Bednar another body for his injury-depleted defense.

“I don’t know him very well, I know his history,” Bednar said after the morning skate. "He’s cracked into the lineup for a handful of games this year. Big guy, skates pretty well, a right-handed shot. That’s all I really know about him. He gives us another option back there.”

Alt, who is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman John Alt, was born in Kansas City and grew up in St. Paul, Minn. He played three years at the University of Minnesota, was Carolina's second-round pick (No. 53) in the 2010 NHL draft and has played all but nine of his pro games in the minors.

A 6-foot-4, 201-pounder, Alt had no points and two penalty minutes in eight games with the Flyers this season. He had 10 points (five goals, five assists) and eight penalty minutes in 23 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL.

Alt will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season.

"It's a short sample size to give him that opportunity to see if he can fit in," Sakic said. "He'll probably play on the bottom pairing when he gets that opportunity. We look forward to see what he can do here."

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Defenseman Anton Lindholm, who has missed three games with an upper-body injury, took part in the morning skate while wearing a non-contact jersey. Goalie Jonathan Bernier, who's missed four games with a concussion, did some light skating but didn't face any shots. Forward Sven Andrighetto (lower body) did some skating for the second day in a row.

Defensemen Mark Barberio (upper body injury, possibly a concussion) and Erik Johnson (likely a shoulder) remained off the ice.

*****

The Avalanche are opening a four-game homestand after playing 13 of the past 16 games on the road, going 6-8-2. They're four points out of the playoffs, trailing Calgary for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

"It was a tough month," Bednar said. "You do everything you can to get in the mix, then we run into a significant amount of injuries and then you're playing 13 out of 16 on the road. It becomes a challenge for your team and we did a decent job of carving out some games. There were certainly some games we didn't like the way we played that we'd like to have back, but it's all in the past now.

"We have a handful of games here at home now in a row in a building in front of our fans where we've played pretty well, had good focus and good energy. That's exactly what we need at this point."




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