Wouldn't this play into Buffalo's advantage? There has to be an overpaid bottom 6 C with defensive chops somewhere. The issue is, even an overpaid bottom 6 C will get a lot of attention, and a team selling would have no issue eating some cap for better value.
Still, I hope to see Adams take advantage of his cap space. Sooner rather than later please!
Max value will be for a trading team to hold the player until close to the deadline and foster competitive bids. Also longer wait would mean less cap to take on for an acquiring team. There will be some of those guys moved.
Of course, this is all without yet knowing who will be in or out of the race - that's going to take months yet to crystalize.