Heading into the offseason, we here at AIH spent considerable time debating what Kyle Wellwood's asking price would be after a strong 2011-12 season. Most of us were ballparked around $2.5m to $3.5m, a price that most of us agreed would probably be too rich for Cheveldayoff's blood. We all thought it was too bad, that he was a good player for us, but hey, good for him. Such is the way of a mid-market team.

So it was surprising, then, to see Chevy seal the deal on a $1.6m, 1-year pact with Wellwood, considerably lower than expectations and hopefully a contract that's the envy of a couple of teams. But the question is how Chevy did it, since obviously Wellwood had grounds to compare to other forwards and get a little more cheddar. Thankfully, AIH had an opportunity to get inside the actual negotiations between Chevy and Wellwood, and I think you'll all agree that, though his drafting is marginal, he saves his master strokes for the negotiation room.

It's about finding weaknesses in your opponent's position, you see.

Dan, I believe you forgot this in your negotiations pieces.