Super Unlikely

Something to note is that ANA would have to be cap-compliant to start the season before they could LTIR Eaves and Kesler. The best-case scenario would be having Steel starting in the AHL (paper transaction) and not signing one of Skinner or Myers in order to fit Kesler's hit before shelving him. It's unlikely that either of those two would wait until late September / early October to sign those deals, and there isn't a way for the Ducks to squeeze in with a 20-man roster to make it work either.

If Skinner isn't likely to come to Anaheim, that's the guy you don't sign, and then you find a different body to scratch.

That makes sense. I had suggested a buy out of Kesler previously for that exact reason. ANA has an internal cap as well that makes this tricky for signings anyways. There could be some additional logistics with eaves being sent down and buried but at the end of the day, Skinner is definitely going to be the odd man out.

I'd still take the upgrade of Myers and the cap space to add a guy later on if needed.

You can place people on LTIR during the offseason provided a doctor supports the fact that player will miss the 10 games / 24 days to start the season ie Horton,Zetterberg,Clarkson etc

Everything I'm reading article-wise from the past summer is suggesting that teams have to be cap-compliant by the start of the season without LTIR. The only exception is the 10% they can exceed the cap by over the summer or if the LTIR is retroactive to the previous season (Horton, Clarkson). That's why the Zetterberg thing was an issue for Detroit this summer. I don't know if Kesler or Eaves would meet that condition.

If I'm wrong, any literature on the subject is appreciated!

Got to the LTIR faq on here. https://www.capfriendly.com/ltir-faq
Thats where I got it. 6th section down.