Watters, sacked by the Saints last year after two years as coach, said it was "sad" that the trio was now elsewhere, Dal Santo at North Melbourne, Goddard at Essendon and McEvoy at Hawthorn.
"The head coach at St Kilda has limited impact on who stays on the list and who doesn't," Watters told The Footy Show.
"I think it is sad fabric players of your footy club, BJ (Goddard), Dal and certainly Benny aren't there.
"I think that can be really dispiriting to a list when you see those players go.
"The final decision on who stays on the list is not the head coach's. I'm sure it is at some clubs, but not at St Kilda."
Watters said he had no regrets about taking the job despite the unexpected axing and refused to be drawn into his relationship with St Kilda football department head Chris Pelchen.
It is known that Watters and Pelchen regularly clashed at the Saints.
"All coaches like challenges and there were some obvious challenges going to St Kilda, no doubt," he said.
"But there's challenges at every club and you take that on in good faith.
"It would've been good if some of the internal support was slightly different, but it wasn't. We move on, it's not something I really dwell on that much now.
"I'm unable to comment on Chris specifically. I think it's fair to say we had starkly different philosophies and a set of values with regards to how a football club and program should be run."
Watters responded to Justin Koschitzke's recent comments about his disappointment in starting as a substitute in his 200th and final match last year.
"Even within the last couple of weeks, Kosi was unable to complete a training session so it was a real stretch," he said.
"Leading into the game, medical staff provided the advice to me, probably a quarter-and-a-half to two quarters is the maximum you're going to get out of him, given he had hip, calf and knee concerns.
"Do we bring him in, get him through the last part of the game? I was really committed to that because I saw the opportunity for Kosi to leave the ground, arm in arm with (Stephen) Milney, arm in arm with 'Blakey' (Jason Blake and really celebrate that day."
Watters said he was ready to return to the AFL system next season and was assessing a number of offers.
