In the end, an arbitrator found some middle ground, something the Winnipeg Jets and Andrew Copp were either unwilling or unable to do.
Copp, 25, was awarded a two-year contract Tuesday that will pay him $2.28 million per season. That's nearly a perfect split of the $2.9 million he asked for, and the $1.5 million the team offered.
The two parties had a nearly seven-hour hearing on Sunday in Toronto, with the arbitrator releasing his decision just after the 48-hour deadline had expired.
Copp was coming off his best year as a pro, scoring a career-high 11 goals and adding 14 assists in 69 regular-season games.