AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan says a mid-season trade period could be introduced in the coming years.

McLachlan said there should be more player movement among clubs, particularly to help struggling improve more quickly and believes a mid-season trade period is the next logically step.

"I would like to see that because it's the only times, too, where you have the weaker clubs lower down the ladder having more leverage in the trade," McLachlan said on AFL.com.au's Road to the Draft podcast.

"It's four or five or six years for a club to get in the position to be competing in the deep end of the finals and you might get the wrong couple of injuries and you've got everything right and travelling well and you need a player.

"The best example was two years ago Port were out of ruckmen. I think it was the year Paddy Ryder unexpectedly was rubbed out for the year and [Matthew] Lobbe did his knee, or something, and they ended up having [Jackson] Trengove rucking.

"St Kilda, as an example, had four or five ruckmen, weren't competing for the eight, I'm sure they had something Port Adelaide needed. That would've been an opportunity and St Kilda would have had the leverage.

"We got to the end of the [2017] trade period and people were bemoaning the lack of trades and player movement again so, if anything, I reckon there needs to be more player movement.

"If you actually want to get clubs who are well managed to be able to climb quicker, then freer player movement helps that so I certainly think there's an opportunity for greater player movement.

"Clubs like it as little as anyone but I think we'll get there on that."

The League's CEO also flagged the introduction of trading of draft picks on draft night, suggesting it was just round the corner.

"Trading players on the night I think is one where you can help clubs get better and get what they want, and I don't think there's too much leverage in it because you have to agree and you're not trading the future so much, it's just the right player," he said.

"I think it's a good thing. So it means that a player at pick five, you might need a key defender but the best player's a midfielder and then you've got a bit of leverage you can trade so I think it's something that's a strong likelihood of coming in."

This year's trade period will take place this Friday night.