The Avalanche’s 2013 season is going so badly, maybe we should follow the modern fashion for disasters and give it a name. My choice is “Ogie,” in honor of the notorious goon from “Slap Shot,” Ogie Ogilthorpe.

Part of the Avalanche turmoil, of course, is fourth-year center Ryan O’Reilly’s continued unsigned status as a restricted free agent. The Avalanche continues to have severe penalty-killing problems, and the franchise hasn’t been able to come to terms with one of the top young defensive-oriented centers in the NHL — one who pitched in enough at the offensive end to lead punchless Colorado in points a season ago?

I’ll keep typing and saying this until my fingers hurt and my voice gets hoarse: Pox on both houses for not negotiating professionally and reaching a compromise. Those who want to reduce this to “the Avs and/or the Kroenke ownership are cheap” are missing the bigger issue: This is about a wait-your-turn and slotting protocol. Get paid fairly, even lucratively, through the process … and then the cash register rings even louder when you’re about to reach, or reach, unrestricted free agency.

The Avs believe in that concept, as championed by president Pierre Lacroix, the former agent. With Francois Giguere as general manager, they stepped away from it in prematurely signing Paul Stastny to a five-year, $33 million extension … and learned from it. No team paying David Jones and P.A. Parenteau each $16 million over four years is “cheap.” But on the verge of unrestricted status, Jones re-signed with the Avs, and Parenteau was a UFA when he left the Islanders to come to Colorado last summer.

The contrast between O’Reilly and Matt Duchene — the No. 33 and No. 3 overall picks in the 2009 draft who last summer were coming off their three-year, entry-level contracts — is even more interesting now than it was when the season opened.

Duchene, who struggled in an injury-plagued third season and at times showed a bewildering lack of personal growth and commitment on both ends of the ice, signed a two-year, $7 million contract. This season, with five goals and nine assists going into Monday’s home game against Nashville, he’s the Avs’ leading scorer — and also is showing signs of newfound maturity.

For weeks, Duchene has been diplomatic when talking about O’Reilly, whom he considers a friend. He remained so Sunday when I approached him. But he opened up a little more.

“We all have our different priorities and values,” Duchene said. “With him, I don’t know what the conversations are between him and the team, and I don’t know what they are between him and his agent. But at the end of the day, he’s a pro, he’s a guy who’s looking for something. You have to respect that. It’s a business.

“Would I have done it that way? Obviously not. I’m here right now. I have a great contract. I love my contract. There’s nothing wrong with it. Would I have loved a long-term one at some point? Of course. Everybody wants a long-term contract, but you have to earn it. Obviously, I had two good first years and last year, there were some question marks. I know that.

“For the Avalanche, it’s a business too. They can’t go out and say, ‘We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.’ They wanted me to prove it. They’re my employer. I have to do it. That’s the way I looked at it. That’s the way my agent looked at it, and I was just thrilled to re-sign and get a deal done and get that distraction out of the way early in the summer.

“Paychecks are great. You want to get as much money as you can in this game, but for me, I love this game so much, I love this team and this franchise and this city, there’s no way I could have held out. I’m not saying what (O’Reilly) is doing is wrong or right. It’s his own business and we’re going to leave it at that, but when you ask me about the contrast, when that was your question to me, that was what was behind my decision.”

Regardless of what happens from here on, O’Reilly’s image as the ultimate rink rat and the lover of the game has taken a hit. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, and maybe the Avs were arrogant in assuming O’Reilly’s passion for the game would diminish his financial resolve — or cause him to tell his representation to be less militant.

It’s a mess.

Terry Frei: 303-954-1895, tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com /TFOlympicAffair