AFL Rd 4 - Collingwood v GWS
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: Taylor Adams and his Magpies team mates look dejected after losing the round four AFL match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 10, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Collingwood football boss Graham Wright has flagged his side will need to be innovative this off-season, stating the club won't be looking to grab headlines after last year's trade window debacle.

The Magpies, who confirmed the appointment of new senior coach Craig Macrae on Wednesday, are currently working through a rebuild after offloading four players in the dying stages of the 2020 exchange period.

Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson, Tom Phillips and Atu Bosenavulagi departed the Holden Centre last year, with the cut-throat list calls coming amid salary concerns for the Magpies.

AFL Rd 1 - Collingwood v Western Bulldogs
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Adam Treloar of the Bulldogs and Jordan De Goey of the Magpies embrace after the final siren during the 2021 AFL Round 01 match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Western Bulldogs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 19, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Added to the player departures, Collingwood also parted ways with their first-round selection for this year's draft in a deal with Greater Western Sydney, who now hold the second overall pick in 2021.

The fallout has left the Magpies with little capital heading into the off-season, with Wright telling RSN's Breakfast Club that his club will need to be "creative" and "bold" this year.

"You can't fix everything in one trade period," Wright said. "We've got our hands tied a little bit due to picks we have at the moment and the salary cap position position we're still trying to work our way through.

"We need to be creative, we need to be bold in a lot of ways.

"The club made some big decisions last year. From that side of it, I suppose we'll be 'less headline grabby'.

"From our perspective I think it'll be pretty quiet."

The Magpies are continuing to deal with a number of contract calls within their own four walls, namely the situation surrounding captain Scott Pendlebury.

The veteran midfielder recently had to reassure Magpies fans his future remains at Collingwood, after comments that suggested his future could lie elsewhere.

Wright revealed that talks with the five-time Copeland Trophy winner have progressed, with the two parties nearing an agreement.

"We're pretty close to having a deal done," Wright revealed.

"He thinks he can play two [more years]. We're hopeful to have that done in the coming days."

However, with Pendlebury recently stating his desires to move into coaching after his tenure with Collingwood ends, Wright revealed it would be unlikely he moved into the coaching box alongside Macrae.

"There's no future coaching for him, and that was a decision him and I talked about in the middle of the year in what's best for him," Wright said.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 23: Scott Pendlebury of the Magpies looks on after being subbed from the match during the 2021 AFL Round 19 match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Collingwood Magpies at Marvel Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

"He wants to finish his playing career here, that might be 1, 2, 3 years.

"I endorse that when the times comes for him to move into the coaching arena, that he looks outside of Collingwood and furthers his education somewhere else."

Despite the loss of their top draft pick, the Magpies will welcome highly-touted teenager Nick Daicos via a Father-Son selection at the year's end.

NAB League Boys Media Launch
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 23: Nick Daicos of the Oakleigh Chargers poses at Ikon Park on March 23, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Tipped to be one of the best players in his draft class, Daicos is sure to play a key role in the club's hopeful return to premiership contention.