I would not rule out anything. Did JR trade for Kessel? Why can’t he trade him again? Or trade for another elite winger. Was JR not in on Duchene? Is JR not mandated to win cups?
Nothing is a given, but signing a FA winger is certainly not some fantasy land pie in the sky suggestion.
Freeing cap space is not hard, Kessel and a D goes a long way. We still have other salary that can/could be moved if needed as well.
I would take Duchene at 8.5 or Skinner at 7.5 ahead of Kessel in a heart beat.
Yes Kessel+ a D goes a long way - but it doesn't get you there. And if you trade Bjugstad or JJ/Gudbranson, while that would give you what you need, you also need to replace those players, which in turn simply adds more complexity to the scenario. And of course that's assuming that you're moving these player's without bringing back salary - which is far from a guarantee.