The appointment of Steven King as Melbourne's new senior coach looms as a key domino in the race for Tasmania's own search for the Devils' maiden AFL coach.
King's successful candidacy saw the Cats assistant edge out colleague James Kelly, fellow former ruckman Brendon Lade and, most surprisingly, ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
The Magpies champion was heavily viewed as the favourite to succeed Simon Goowdin, so much so that the Demons had to make it clear their race to land the job hadn't been run before it even started.
The process would find King to be Melbourne's man, with the seven-game Suns caretaker coach securing his move to the top after a deep but unsuccessful finish in his pursuit of the West Coast vacancy last year.
As far as stability across the rest of the competition, Carlton and Fremantle will back their respective coaches in for next year, but with the Blues needing to comment on Michael Voss' future earlier this off-season, and the Dockers' situation with Justin Longmuir's contract and succeeding September exit, there's mounting pressure on the pair to deliver in 2026.
If any cut-throat call had to be made, it would also come with Tasmania's arrival in mind, with the Devils already shopping for the best name on the open market.
Buckley's Demons snub spikes the intrigue of the situation for the AFL's 19th club and its search for an experienced coach, with Buckley expected to show a mutual interest after Tasmania's senior figures expressed their own excitement in his likely running.
But Buckley won't be the only big-name candidate in their sights, and the pool of prospective coaches will surely outshine those who pushed for the Demons' job.
Premiership coach John Longmire and Adam Simpson firm as likely targets for the Devils, while departed Port Adelaide boss Ken Hinkley could also be in the mix, with a coaching director role perhaps on offer if he chooses against stepping into the hot seat once more.
Even those who are uncapped in the senior coaching space look to be among the most heralded across the AFL, with Brisbane football boss Danny Daly one who has received widespread praise among conversations focused on the game's next wave of senior coaches.
And then there are the current AFL coaches who would be dream recruits for Tasmania, with Daly's Lions lead Chris Fagan and Geelong premiership coach Chris Scott at the top of the list.
For Buckley, running for the Devils' job will be a steeper hill to climb, but the 53-year-old has had one eye on the Tasmania role.
Speaking on Fox Footy following King's appointment on Friday, Buckley confirmed he informed the Demons of his intentions to still meet with Tasmania next week, and that a decision from his end might not come until the end of the month.
Buckley met with the Demons on Monday and Thursday this week, with talks with the Devils to come this Tuesday.
"I said I needed until Wednesday morning. I'm meeting with Tassie on Tuesday, and I needed a bit more of an insight into that process and their timeline before I was able to make a call on whether I was willing to step into the Melbourne role," Buckley told the broadcaster.
"There was a couple of other things I was prosecuting and looking at as well that, when you've been there before, you're probably looking at a few different things than you would if you were a first-time coach that you're prepared to absorb and fix.
"It was an honest and transparent process for my part with Melbourne and I. At no stage were we unaware of the reality of the situation, and I thought it was respectful.
"[The process] happened really quickly. Too quickly for me, and that's fine."
The Devils are clearly well into their search for a senior coach, likely looking to follow the timelines that saw Gold Coast and GWS appoint inaugural coaches Guy McKenna and Kevin Sheedy, respectively, more than two years out from their first game.
Tasmania have already made moves for their CEO, recruitment team and VFL programs, with Jeromey Webberley to lead the Devils' reserves from next year under Aaron Pidgeon - head of VFL and VFLW.
Devils CEO Brendon Gale recently stressed the significance of securing their senior VFL appointments before looking to settle on the top role of their senior side, which could now be sped up after landing Webberley and the Demons' search reaching a conclusion.
