The Avalanche solidified their center depth well into the future.

Casey Mittelstadt re-signed on Tuesday to a three-year contract — with a $5.75-million average annual value, per media reports — that keeps him in Colorado through the 2026-27 season. It signals the franchise’s commitment to their second-line center, acquired last season at the trade deadline.

Mittelstadt, 25, blossomed in the Stanley Cup playoffs with nine points (three goals) in 11 games.

“Casey was a great fit for our lineup and a big contributor to our team down the stretch and in the playoffs,” general manager Chris MacFarland said in a news release. “His game has improved every season and he took yet another big jump this past year. We believe he has an even higher level to reach and it was important to get him signed for several years. Casey is an exciting, playmaking center with good vision and hands and at just 25 years old is going to be a big part of our team moving forward.”

The Avalanche traded defenseman Bowen Byram in exchange for Mittelstadt. A tall asking price. Byram, 23, was a key piece of the 2022 Stanley Cup winning team.

But the Avalanche’s 2C experiment with Ryan Johansen failed last season. Their aggressive traded deadline approach to shed his contract ultimately yielded a more talented and younger replacement. Mittelstadt logged 57 points between Buffalo and Colorado in the regular season.

This marks the first step in Avalanche offseason roster construction.

The team faces salary cap challenges with the uncertain playing futures of top-six forwards Valeri Nichushkin (six-month suspension) and Gabe Landeskog (knee surgery). But expect Colorado to make several more depth signings this summer, including a strong pitch to retain pending unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Drouin.