Carlton has several case studies to consider as they plan the next stages of their list build in the post-Michael Voss era.
A handful of the Blues' star assets have been linked to the exit amid a tumultuous time at Princes Park, with leaders Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering and Harry McKay viewed as potential targets for rival clubs to move on.
This week on The Hitout AFL Podcast, the team debated what the next steps should be for the Blues given their tricky situation and list profile.
"You can't get rid of the guys who are going to be teaching the next generation," host Phoenix Trinidad said.
"You can't get rid of Weitering, because that might stunt Harry Dean's development."
Reporter Aidan Cellini flagged North Melbourne's cut-throat list decisions a decade ago as a path the Blues may want to avoid, with the Kangaroos yet to return to the finals frame since.
Given Carlton's top-heavy list, Cellini warned of what could happen if the Blues decide to put their best players "on the trade table".
"Their top six (players) would be the ones to be put on the trade table," Cellini said.
"If you lose a couple of them, not only do the ones that stay get demoralised, it's going to put the club back."
How Carlton uses the trade and free agency space to acquire talent is also a point of fascination, with bargain buys in the form of what Melbourne pursued after trading their star players an option.
If Carlton were to part ways with one, or some, of Cripps, McKay and Weitering, they would still need to hit the open market and add experience to their list at a cut price.
Free agents in Hawthorn's Mitch Lewis and Melbourne's Christian Salem could be ideal options for the Blues to target, given they wouldn't cost the club at the trade table as unrestricted free agents.
"I don't think you can get rid of Weitering or McKay, whereas the Blues' midfield is stacked and you need to make room for Jagga (Smith) and Cody Walker," Mitch Keating said.
"If they're not shopping (Cripps), it'd be him putting himself out there. The thing is, he's coming up against guys like Lachie Neale, who is also on the open market. The game might not favour guys like Patrick Cripps anymore.
"Yes you could sell one or two of your best assets, like Melbourne did, but who are you bringing in? They're probably going to look at free agents if you want to keep as much draft capital as you can.
"Guys like Mitch Lewis, who would be a bit younger than some of the guys Melbourne picked up, could be a plug-in if they do lose someone like Harry McKay. Do you look at Christian Salem? They've struggled with ball use out of the backline in recent years."
Melbourne have seen early fruits form as a result of their aggressive off-season, which could be a case study for the Blues to follow.
Another is Richmond's 2024 off-season that saw the Tigers turn premiership talent into a suite of first-round draft selections, pivoting hard towards the draft.
While Carlton could look to do the same, the idea of rebuilding a list with Tasmania likely to heavily influence next year's draft is a concept that comes with danger.
"You don't want to be rebuilding with Tassie (coming). It's such a problem to try and manoeuvre through the next few years if you are going to go down the draft path," Keating added.
"If you want to get aggressive, you might have to do what Richmond did instead of what Melbourne did, and just fully cut off the top of your list and cash in on picks and attack this year's draft.
"Do you hold on and try to compete again, because you've got a couple good assets, and end up with what West Coast ended up doing. They just tried to hold on for a little too long, then you had to bottom out, and you bottom out hard, and you're doing it with Tassie there. Or do you do what Richmond did? Trade your best assets, get your picks."
