Why do you say the writing is on the wall and Turris is on his way out?
But....if we can't pay Turris, then we can't pay for any legit 1C. Anyone we put into that spot on the roster will be making similar money.
I think it's more about long term cap flexibility than strictly paying somebody. Paying a bit extra in assets to effectively swap Turris for Duchene kicks the can down the road until after we've dealt with Karlsson's extension. (whether that means trading Turris to COL, or to another team after acquiring Duchene to recoup assets).
Turris apparently wants a long term deal, 7 or 8 years. There's no way to know for sure, but when the reports are he wants "stability", that probably means some fairly sturdy trade protection. No player wanting stability that has the leverage to do so is going to sign without a NMC. The Sens don't give out full NMCs. He has a very aggressive agent. Turris' previous contract was very aggressive considering his resume at the time.
I think with the reports of us being "aggressively" after Duchene, and now all the stuff coming out about Turris' contract and his agent not wanting to negotiate after the season begins, that writing is on the wall that Turris is most likely gone. Yes, Garrioch says he thinks it's possible they could get something down during the season, but that's just his opinion. The fact he presented is that Turris' agent has set a deadline to get an extension done, that deadline is the start of the season.
Dorion's going to say the right things in public, but with all the info coming out, it seems like a situation where Turris would have to cave in order for us to sign, and a player who'll be as in demand as him as a UFA has no reason to cave. His demands for "stability" are probably extremely doable on the open market for a player of his calibre.
I'll say maybe my post was a bit too aggressive in that respect (I guess that's our word of the day) but my main problem lies in anybody still looking at this situation like we're trying to get an upgrade on Turris. We're not. To me it seems blatantly clear we're trying to get ahead of the prospect of not having a C in 18-19. I don't think we'd be "aggressively" after Duchene if Turris had 2 years left on his deal instead of 1.