Carlton and St Kilda trade situation, Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall switch clubs, Charlie Curnow, Sam Walsh, Harry McKay

Essentially eliminated from finals, Carlton has some enormous decisions to make at the end of the season.

Putting aside what they do with head coach Michael Voss, they will also need to decide whether to make drastic calls with their list, including trading star players like Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay or Sam Walsh.

And Brownlow Medallist Brad Hardie believes only one of those superstars should be off the table at the end of the season.

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The Blues will have a new man running the show this off-season, with former Collingwood and Hawthorn head of football Graham Wright taking over.

Hardie expects the veteran administrator to make some ruthless decisions.

"I heard (the new president) say we got Graham Wright because we wanted a football CEO and they've got the best man. I'm not saying he's the messiah, but he's been there and done that a couple of times and it's worked, so I have trust in him," Hardie told 3AW on Friday.

Charlie Curnow celebrates a goal. AFL Photos via Getty Images

"Unfortunately when it comes to big names, no one is immune from being traded.

"We've seen it before. Tony Lockett changed clubs, Barry Hall changed clubs, Gary Ablett Jnr changed clubs.

"Accept it ... you cannot trade clay and expect gold in return. You've got to put something on the table that somebody wants in an endeavour to get something back that you need.

"It just needs a leap of faith from Carlton to go hard or go home, and I think they'll go hard.

"For me, there's only three that they don't touch. It's your skipper in Patrick Cripps who has carried you for so long, it's Jacob Weitering and it's Charlie Curnow because he can get better. It's not like something is wrong with him. Everyone else is on the mat."

Carlton looks likely to lose starting ruckman Tom De Koning to St Kilda as a free agent at the end of the season, with confidence growing with each passing day he remains unsigned.

Former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw however remains confused as to how the Saints would balance De Koning and their own star ruckman in Rowan Marshall.

Both play as clear No.1 rucks and while both have some forward craft, neither thrives as a key forward.

Rowan Marshall and Tom De Koning went head to head on Friday night. Getty

Shaw wonders whether Marshall will request a trade, suggesting he would be perfect for a Carlton team if De Koning departs.

"If I was Rowan Marshall I'd go straight to my manager and I'd say, 'Would Carlton want me for $900,000?'" Shaw told 3AW on Sunday.

"If he could get that, Carlton would say "OK, we got rid of maybe $1.3m that we might have paid De Koning and now we've got Marshall.

"I tell you what, as a ruckman, Marshall is far ahead of De Koning. I haven't seen enough that he's an out and out superstar."

The complexity there however is that De Koning would leave Carlton as a free agent, while the Blues would need to trade for the contracted Marshall.

Carlton would need to give up a draft asset for the St Kilda star on top of losing De Koning to the same club, which may be a tough pill to swallow.

Richmond champion Matthew Richardson agrees with Shaw that the Saints keeping Marshall and adding De Koning makes no on-field sense.

"I'd love to hear the Saints talk about how it works and how the two mix in together, or are they planning to say to Rowan 'look now that Tom is here, if you want a trade we can facilitate it'," Richardson replied.

"I don't think it is going to work having two in the starting 18. When has it ever worked, two genuine No.1 ruckmen?

"I think it's a big issue (for St Kilda)."

The Blues currently don't have a first-round draft pick, having traded it as part of acquiring 18-year-old midfielder Jagga Smith last season.

They will likely receive a top 10 pick from the AFL as compensation for losing De Koning, however.

Carlton has now lost three games in a row, the last two by over 50 points.

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