Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic will hold a news conference Thursday at the Pepsi Center, ostensibly to catch up fans on what has been going on this offseason and plans for moving forward. A prime topic could be the seemingly frosty relationship, again, between the team and top left wing Ryan O’Reilly.

On Sunday, the Avalanche filed for salary arbitration against O’Reilly, 23, a forward who led the team in goals with 28 and the NHL in takeaways with 82 this past season. The Avs and O’Reilly’s agency, Newport Sports, can keep negotiating toward a new contract, but if one isn’t reached by July 15, they will have a hearing scheduled with one of eight NHL-NHL Players’ Association designated arbitrators.

Why did the Avs file for arbitration against one of their best players? Essentially because of a difference in his perceived current value. While O’Reilly made a salary of $6.5 million in 2013-14, his cap hit was $5 million. The Avs would like to use the $5 million number as a starting point in negotiations, but Newport Sports seems more interested in starting with the $6.5 million figure.

Under arbitration rules, O’Reilly can’t be awarded anything less than 85 percent of his last base salary, which would guarantee him a minimum salary of $5.525 million for 2014-15. If the case goes to arbitration, which is becoming rarer in the NHL these days, O’Reilly can choose from one- or two-year contracts from the arbitrator’s decision. O’Reilly can become an unrestricted free agent after two more seasons, but until then, the Avs can keep him if they choose, and at possibly a lower salary than they paid this season.

The Avs may save a few bucks in paying O’Reilly, but their decision to file for arbitration has seemingly thrown a new chill on their relationship.

“We had some warning that the ‘arb’ might be taken advantage of. It’s within the CBA. Ryan understands that. He also understands that it’s unique, that no player has been arbed for a pay cut that is of his stature,” Newport Sports agent Pat Morris told Canada’s Sportsnet. “Ryan is unrestricted in two years, and under the model now, given that Colorado has arbed him, short-term looks like what the future is for Ryan going forward, possibly year to year or for the next two years. … Some people might look a little sideways that a team has done that to a special player, but they certainly have the business right to do that and Ryan is mature, but there’s a history a little bit on the previous contract, and Ryan is a stubborn young man.”

O’Reilly’s last contract of $10 million over two years was originally offered to him by the Calgary Flames in early 2013. The Avs matched the offer, which was much higher than they wanted to pay and led to an impasse that saw O’Reilly miss the first half of the lockout-shortened season.