Now that the initial shock and emotions of the trade have faded, I have to say that I don't hate it.
I will admit that I was angry mostly due to the seemingly poor fit and how the trade made an unbalanced roster even more unbalanced, but over time and with a healthy dose of pragmatism, I am coming around to the point where I even see the logic behind the move.
I love Mitts, but if Mitts is your first line center, your team likely isn't going anywhere, and whatever Mitts would get contract wise from Adams would likely be way too much to pay a third line center, and is still too much to pay for a back-up top six center under the cap, regardless of how versatile the player is.
Now I know a lot of people will say, "But but but... you move Cozens to wing!", and I do get that philosophy, but Cozens is young. He put up a 70 point 30+ goal pace playing center as a 21-22 year old. If he can learn to play center in a disciplined system and replicate those numbers consistently, you've hit the jackpot. I also do not see Thompson as a top-line center on a contender, so i am gambling on Cozens to improve.
In a perfect world, I would have preferred to see Tage moved for a haul, and Casey re-signed, but Byram is great value, and I do not believe Adams was ever entertaining listening to offers on Thompson, for better or worse.