Acquired from Buffalo as part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade, the 16th pick from the 2013 NHL Draft is seen as a big building block for last season's last-place team.
The 22-year-old appeared in 56 games for the Avalanche in 2016-17, recording 10 assists.
A handful of restricted free agents are still unsigned as training camps begin to open around the NHL, and some of their situations appear much closer to being resolved than others.
With that in mind, here's a look at each of the five remaining RFA contract quarrels - ordered from the most to least likely to drag on deep into camp:
Considering the Red Wings' lack of cap flexibility - and that there's been no real indication the team and player are making progress toward an agreement - there isn't much to suggest Athanasiou's dispute will be resolved anytime soon.
Josh Anderson
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The Columbus Blue Jackets went through this a few summers ago with Ryan Johansen, and while Anderson may or may not be of the same caliber, he's certainly a player the club needs to get under contract.
However, like Athanasiou and the Red Wings, neither Anderson nor the Blue Jackets have given much indication that a deal is close to being consummated.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that the two players are represented by the same agent, Darren Ferris, who earlier this week claimed the Blue Jackets haven't "really moved much" on a potential deal with Anderson, adding there's "no point in attending a camp without having a contract."
Nothing had changed as of Wednesday evening, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline, and the Blue Jackets open camp Friday, so it doesn't sound like a deal is imminent for the winger, who posted exceptional per-60-minute numbers in limited ice time last season.
David Pastrnak
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Talks between the Boston Bruins and the best RFA without a contract appear to be gaining some steam, but Pastrnak is still in the Czech Republic and is reportedly unlikely to be with the club when it opens camp Thursday, regardless of whether or not he ends up with a deal.
The good news is the two sides have been talking frequently in the last 24 hours, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, after letting so much of the summer go by without making much, if any, progress.
Pastrnak's agent, J.P. Barry, told CSSNE's Joe Haggerty on Wednesday night that there hadn't been any breakthroughs in talks yet, but the fact that discussions are now happening with some regularity has to be encouraging for Bruins fans.
Nikita Zadorov
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Zadorov doesn't have much leverage in his talks with the Colorado Avalanche, and that might explain why GM Joe Sakic told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post on Wednesday that the two sides are "close enough that he should be here."
The 22-year-old defenseman has reportedly threatened to play in the KHL this season, and while returning to his native Russia might be tempting, it seems as though his discussions with the Avalanche are heading in a more positive direction than some of the other RFAs.
Marcus Foligno
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
It certainly sounds like Foligno's situation is on the verge of being resolved by - or close - to the start of training camp.
The Minnesota Wild forward told Michael Russo of The Athletic last week that he believed the two sides were "very close" to agreeing on a deal, and Russo reported Wednesday that a potential contract in the three- or four-year range was being discussed as of the afternoon.
Russo added that Foligno helped deliver season tickets to Wild fans earlier Wednesday, so clearly there isn't as much friction between the two camps as in other negotiations.
The Alex Ovechkin-to-the-Olympics saga seems to be - finally - nearing its end, as the head of the Russian Hockey Federation said Wednesday that Ovechkin needs to accept that he won't be able to participate.
"What is there for Ovechkin to do now? Nothing. Play for Washington," Tretiak told R-Sport, as translated by The Washington Post. "He has to accept that."
While Ovechkin has remained adamant about competing in Pyeongchang come February despite the NHL not participating, it seems more and more unlikely that his dream of representing Russia at this Winter Games will come to fruition.
Despite having the support of Caps owner Ted Leonsis to take part, the fact remains that if Ovie indeed makes the trip in February, he would miss a significant portion of Washington's schedule.
Ovechkin has suited up for the Red Machine at three different Olympic Games (2006, 2010, 2014), and most recently captained Russia at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The City of Calgary is about to put its hockey team under the microscope.
In response to the Calgary Flames' withdrawal from negotiations to fund a new arena in the city, mayor Naheed Nenshi plans to release each side's proposal to the public.
"I was certainly a little bit surprised because we have been at the table," Nenshi told Shawn Logan of the Calgary Herald. "We didn't get any advance warning of this.
"The city has a very fair offer on the table, one that … most Calgarians will see as eminently reasonable, and there's another offer on the table that most Calgarians will see as imminently unreasonable, and I will have the opportunities to share details of those … in the upcoming days."
According to the Herald, the two separate proposals call for the city and the Flames to each cover one-third of the project costs, with the remainder funded via ticket surcharges.
On Tuesday, Flames president and CEO Ken King stated the team is willing to move away from its original proposal, CalgaryNEXT, to be situated in the city's west village, in favor of a city-preferred Victoria Park location.
A multi-stadium proposal, CalgaryNEXT was unveiled in August 2015 at a projected cost of $890 million, however an April 2016 report issued by the city of Calgary estimated the project would cost more than double that figure, coming in at $1.8 billion.
While Nenshi did not give a date on when he will make the two proposals available for public consumption, he was given the green light to do so Wednesday after city council approved the maneuver.
Calgary is home to the NHL's oldest arena that has not undergone a major renovation, with doors to the Scotiabank Saddledome first opening in 1983.
Pastrnak is believed to be using an eight-year, $68-million deal recently signed by Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl as a point of comparison. His agent recently confirmed the max term has been discussed, but the Bruins appear reluctant to make him the highest-paid player on the team at this stage of his career.
The Bruins will kick off their preseason schedule Monday against Montreal.
"Milan was a tremendous player, a great teammate, a winner and a true professional in every sense," said Avalanche president and general manager Joe Sakic.
"Milan was one of the most humble players I ever had the privilege of competing with," continued Sakic. "He was a quiet leader who led by example and always represented this organization and himself with class. His number 23 certainly belongs in the Pepsi Center rafters."
Hejduk played all 14 of his NHL seasons with the Avalanche, and helped the team win the 2001 Stanley Cup. He finished his career with 375 goals and 805 points in 1,020 games, and served as team captain for one season. He also won the 2003 Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer that season.
Hejduk's No. 23 will join the numbers of Joe Sakic (19), Peter Forsberg (21), Patrick Roy (33), Adam Foote (52), and Ray Bourque (77) as those retired by the club.
"I am truly honored to have my jersey raised to the rafters alongside those great Avalanche players," Hejduk said.
"I realized my lifelong dream of not only playing in the NHL but also winning a Stanley Cup and to spend my entire career in Colorado was very special. Thanks to all the Avalanche fans for your support, I can't wait to see everyone on January 6th."
The Calgary Flames aren't leaving town if they don't get a new arena. At least not in the short term.
On Tuesday, Flames president and CEO Ken King announced the team is no longer pursuing plans to construct a new facility in Calgary, classifying recent meetings with city officials as "spectacularly unproductive."
The update comes after King revealed the two sides have not sat at the negotiation tables in more than a month, despite a willingness from Flames' ownership to move away from its CalgaryNEXT proposal in favor of the city's preferred Victoria Park site.
"We would not say we're not interested (in Victoria Park)," King told reporters. "In fact, we're interested enough to put up a very, very substantial participation, but apparently it's not enough.
"It's unfortunate, because I really thought we had something that would work, and it would seem pretty clear that it's not. It doesn't look like we're going to get there, and I think it's time that we stopped pretending and were a little more direct and a little more honest with our fans and with our city about that fact."
There is frustration on the part of Flames' ownership, particularly when their Alberta counterpart, the Edmonton Oilers, unveiled the new Rogers Place last season, a project that was largely publicly funded and came to fruition after Oilers owner Daryl Katz considered Seattle as a possible new home for the team if it was unable to land a new arena in Edmonton.
"This is the business side. It's the boring side (but) it's important. You've got to be viable, you've got to be able to secure your long-term future," King added. "But I think our fans want to know if our two new goalies can stop pucks, if we can compete, and if we can beat the guys up north. Apparently we can't beat them on the building front but maybe we can beat them on the ice."
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, on hand for the announcement, echoed King's sentiments on the city's inability to see value in a new arena.
"One of the dynamics here that strikes me as a different, particularly say from Edmonton, I don't get a sense from the city that there is a commitment to or a belief in the importance of having the right infrastructure and having a major league sports team," Bettman told reporters. "I don't see the same level of city commitment here that I've seen in other places.
"This team needs a new arena. This city needs a new arena. But there is no realistic prospect of it coming forward based on everything that has and has not transpired. The city was made aware last February as to what it would take to do an arena; it was their best shot at getting it done. The city is nowhere close to embracing that, so there was no point in continuing."
While negotiations appear to be at a standstill, with King stating he does not see an immediate arena resolution on the horizon, he added that the possibility of relocating from Calgary is not something ownership has discussed.
That was most evident in June, when King shot down relocation talk after Flames' president of hockey operations Brian Burke mentioned Quebec City as a potential landing spot for the franchise.
"In the short term, nobody should doubt the Flames' or their ownership's commitment to the community," Bettman added. "But at some point, I envision without a new building there will be consequences that everybody is going to have to deal with."
The Flames came to Calgary in 1980 after spending the franchise's first eight seasons in Atlanta. In 1983, the team then made its home at the Scotiabank Saddledome, currently the NHL's oldest arena, save for the since-renovated Madison Square Garden.
For the players, the news came as a surprise, and sparked a touch of arena envy after playing a few games up in Edmonton's brand new rink last season.
"The hope for the players and being part of the city, you want a new rink and what Edmonton has," Matt Stajan said Tuesday, per Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. "It's a little bit of a shock, and it's disappointing, but hopefully, we'll end up getting what we all want."
The Flames, of course, want a building that lives up to 2017 standards, while the city of Calgary is reticent to help them out with the use of public funds.
Defenseman Michael Stone is well versed in this scenario, having previously played with the perennially unstable Arizona Coyotes. That the Flames are a core part of Calgary's identity should help resolve the matter, he believes, and shouldn't keep players from wanting to join the team in the future.
"I just experienced this is Arizona - I can't imagine the uncertainty affecting this market as much as it does down there in terms of getting players to come, but down there it was a problem for some guys," said Stone.
"I guess it's kind of shocking and disappointing, not just for us but for everybody in the city that wants this to happen. It's disappointing for everybody who sees what other cites are getting. I think everybody still has hope something is going to get done."
Edmonton's Rogers Place, it should be noted, was not built without the benefit of public funds, help that was approved after Oilers owner Daryl Katz floated the possibility of the team relocating to Seattle.
