ST KILDA is yet to re-sign up to a dozen players, including valued stopper Sean Dempster, as the club deals with salary cap pressures that are dictating its Trade Week movements.
While the Saints have ruled out trading one of gun trio Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo or Sam Gilbert to alleviate its salary cap pressures, a number of other players are out of contract two days into Trade Week.
Dempster, who has played in five Grand Finals and finished third in the club's 2011 best and fairest count, is joined by Brett Peake, Farren Ray and Zac Dawson in being unsigned by the club.
Ray and Dawson's manager Marty Pask says the pair are required players at St Kilda, but Peake was briefly linked with a return to his first club, Fremantle, on day one of Trade Week.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has indicated that he has no interest in recruiting any of his former players, with his new club firmly focused on negotiating a deal for Brisbane Lion Mitch Clark.
As well as its uncontracted dozen, St Kilda, which is yet to appoint a senior coach, may also be willing to trade defender Jason Gram and young forward Tom Lynch.
Lynch, 21, has played just six career games - including five in 2011 - since being recruited with pick No.13 in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.
Of the seven players that arrived at St Kilda at the end of 2008, only 20-year-old key forward Rhys Stanley currently has a contract with the club.
It has been reported that the Saints have been given until October 31 to sort out their salary cap issues.
However, the club would be keen to secure deals during Trade Week and avoid a situation where it is forced to lose players for nothing in order to ease its salary cap.
Meanwhile, West Coast is believed to be close to finalising a deal to secure Western Bulldogs forward Josh Hill.
No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Monday, October 17.
Follow our complete coverage of the 2011 AFL exchange period from October 10-17. Join the AFL trade conversation on Twitter: use #tradeweek in your tweets.