CARLTON faces a "significant rebuild" because of the lack of depth in its playing list, Blues CEO Steven Trigg says.

In a letter to Carlton supporters on carltonfc.com.au, Trigg called for patience as the club seeks to regenerate its list through the draft, free agency and trades over the next few years.

"After just a couple of rounds, let's be very clear about it – we have a significant list rebuild in front of us (and) that rebuild is going to take time," Trigg said.

"All of the many changes we've made over the off-season and our greater investment into list management is aimed at just that – building our list – and building success.

"No quick fixes, no white knights.

"In simple terms, we must bring in more talent while intensively developing and supporting our current players."

Coach Mick Malthouse made minimal changes to the Blues' list when he took over from Brett Ratten at the end of the 2012 season.

But over the past two seasons the Blues have delisted 22 players and added 24 to their senior and rookie lists.

"It's critical work simply because we don't have enough depth or depth of experience," Trigg said.

"We have some bright young prospects, but we need more. We've often heard the call from members for no quick fixes, and we are very much aligned with that in our list plans.

"We need to build for the future and have an element of patience along the way.

"We have to draft superbly, access free agents (and) trades to supplement our growth, and develop and coach as effectively as we can over the coming years."

Malthouse said after last Friday night's loss to West Coast that free agents did not want to come to Carlton as they preferred to move to "top sides" where they could play finals.

However, the Blues did snare Dale Thomas as a restricted free agent from Collingwood after their sixth-place finish in 2013.

Trigg said the Blues had already moved to revamp their recruiting, pointing to: the recent appointment of Stephen Silvagni as list manager; the adoption of a list management database used by the Boston Red Sox and a related analytics program; and the establishment of a list management 'hub' at Ikon Park where Silvagni and his recruiting team will be based.

"Their focus is on building sustainability for the future and building a premiership-winning list," Trigg said of the recruiting team.