CHICAGO — The bus was leaving, but it didn’t much matter to Ryan O’Reilly.

Avalanche personnel hollered at players to get off the ice Monday to make a 2 p.m. bus back to the United Center, where they could change out of their practice clothes and into civvies. The dressing rooms were too small at the nearby Johnny’s Ice Palace, but O’Reilly and a handful of teammates would not be rushed.

O’Reilly, almost always the last Avalanche player off the ice at practice, still had some one-timers to work on with rookie Nathan MacKinnon. And there was still the ritual of having to flip all of the remaining pucks into a bucket. When the last one made its way into an orange bucket held in place by MacKinnon, only then could O’Reilly make his way to the crowded bus idling outside on Madison Street.

O’Reilly can be stubborn about things, and not just with his practice habits. There was that little matter of a contract standoff with the Avs last season that saw him sit out the first half and return to the team only because of the Avs having their hand forced by an offer sheet from the Calgary Flames.

O’Reilly remains unsigned beyond this season, but any tension between player and team has dissipated. Both sides have agreed to play out the season and revisit a contract this summer. He has a base salary of $6.5 million this season, with a cap hit of $5 million. If O’Reilly is unsigned into July, the Avs will have to give him a qualifying offer of $6.5 million to retain his rights, but that doesn’t mean a totally different contract number can’t be worked out before or after that date.

On his way to that idling bus, O’Reilly briefly addressed the contract issue.

“I like it here. I want to play here. I want to stay here,” O’Reilly said. “But it’s just stuff you can’t control right now. It’s easier when you don’t have to worry about that stuff and just play the game, but I don’t control it. I just stay out of the business side ’til the season is over.”

O’Reilly is tied with linemate Matt Duchene for the team lead in goals (16) and leads the team in takeaways (46). He also has the team’s best faceoff percentage, at 55.1, though he hasn’t taken as many draws as in the past because of moving to the wing, not his natural position of center.

Avs coach Patrick Roy has praised O’Reilly’s game and shown no hesitancy in putting him on the ice in any situation. O’Reilly scored two goals in Saturday’s big 4-2 win at Minnesota, after missing two games with a shoulder injury.

“I thought he was solid offensively and defensively,” Roy said. “He’s made a great pairing with Dutchy.”

O’Reilly prides himself on his defensive play more than anything else, which is why he allows himself some praise — something he doesn’t normally do — when it comes to his takeaway numbers.

“I feel comfortable on the wing now. I think, coming in on the forecheck, you’re still able to expose guys and take the puck away,” he said. “Within our system, Patrick does a good job of letting everyone know what they’re supposed to do. It’s been great playing for him this year, for sure.”

Adrian Dater: adater@denverpost.com or twitter.com/adater

COLORADO AT CHICAGO

6 p.m. Tuesday, ALT; 950 AM

Spotlight on Patrick Kane: The Blackhawks star put a puck in his own net Sunday night against Edmonton, but Chicago won anyway. On a delayed penalty on the Oilers, Kane tried to pass back to the point, but no one was there and the puck slid all the way into the Hawks’ vacated net. That happened to the Avs on Jan. 25, 1997, in Boston. Uwe Krupp shot one into the Avs’ net in the same situation.

NOTEBOOK

Avalanche: Backup goaltender J.S. Giguere didn’t practice Monday because of back spasms. The Avs recalled Sami Aittokallio from Lake Erie; he could serve as a backup Tuesday to Semyon Varlamov. … Center Paul Stastny (leg) also didn’t practice Monday. Coach Patrick Roy said Stastny would be evaluated Tuesday and might play against Chicago. … Defenseman Tyson Barrie (shoulder) didn’t practice but will be available to play Tuesday. The Avs sent rookie Karl Stollery back to Lake Erie. … With an average of 1.3 per game, center Matt Duchene leads the Avs in penalties drawn by opposition. Nathan MacKinnon ranks second (1.2). … Defenseman Nick Holden rejoined the Avs after being with his wife over the weekend; she was in labor.

Blackhawks: Chicago is coming off a 5-3 win over Edmonton on Sunday. … Chicago is sending 10 players to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Adrian Dater, The Denver Post