Captain Jonathan Brown turns 32 next year and the Lions are beginning to contemplate life without their triple premiership player.
The Lions have pick eight in Thursday's draft and are already being linked with a bid for South Australian prospect Sam Mayes while Troy Menzel could also be in the mix if other clubs don't want to take a punt on his dodgy knees.
Vice-captain Jed Adcock said finding a long-term replacement for Brown or veteran midfielder Simon Black would be high up on the club's priorities.
He said the club's interest in ex-Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett showed they were in the hunt for a key forward.
"I don't know how long Brownie's got, a couple of years left, three maybe, so you're probably looking to fill that void eventually at some stage," Adcock told reporters on the Gold Coast.
"Blackie will retire, well you'd think he'd retire soon ... elite midfielders, if there's one there you've got to take them.
"We've got pick eight in the draft this year so you'd be hoping we can come away with pretty good talent."
Adcock says he's behind his teammates as he continues to recover from hip surgery but he hopes to return to training before Christmas.
