Jack Baldwin's exit from Bristol Rovers signals the beginning of the musical chairs at the Mem ahead of next week's transfer deadline.
Simply put, there are not enough seats in the Rovers dressing room to go around, particularly with Joey Barton's desire to make further additions to his group before 11pm on Tuesday.
Baldwin's departure leaves the Gas two players over the permitted 20-man squad limit, and while Brandon Hanlan's possible departure to Wycombe Wanderers or perhaps Lincoln City simplifies the numerical equation there is still plenty of arithmetic left for the manager to do.
The feeling around the club is the manager wants to complete multiple signings over the coming days to add to the 13 additions already made this summer, as the number of surviving players from previous regimes dwindles.
For Barton to do that, several men must follow Baldwin out of The Quarters and onto the Almondsbury interchange en route to new clubs, be it on permanent or loan deals.
Zain Westbrooke and Josh Barrett are the obvious candidates to go, having been told by the manager to instruct their agents to find new clubs, but their exits would only allow for one more signing in this window.
So there is sure to be more collateral damage from Barton's attempts to rebuild.
The quirks of the EFL's squad limit rules may be beneficial to players younger than 21, because they are not counted against the cap, but young players on the other side of that line can suffer.
Cameron Hargreaves and Ben Liddle are among those who are counted in this category. They are early in their careers and still developing, but have not secured a prominent role in Rovers' squad. They are in the danger zone, for want of a less hackneyed phrase.
While they may have promise and potential, they could be viewed as expendable given they are likely to be given bit-part roles due to the manager's preference for experience in central midfield.
Should they leave on a loan or permanent deal, Barton would have the scope to make three more additions by close of play on Tuesday, but what if he wants more?
After all, the Gas have endured a miserable start to the season and the pressure could quickly mount on the manager should more beatings akin to Saturday's merciless first-half blitz at Exeter follow in the coming weeks.
Well, then Barton would have two options. Use the loan market to bring in a teenage starlet or two from clubs further up the food chain, or make further cuts of senior players. Then the decisions would get really tough.
That is because there are very few players remaining who pre-date Barton's time at the club, most of them central to the manager's plans.
Only Cian Harries and Alfie Kilgour are not regular starters of the remaining players after the possible exits listed above.
Harries provides important cover on the left of the back three and is a contender for the starting spot with Nick Anderton, while Kilgour is a homegrown prospect Rovers surely won't want to actively move on at this stage of his development if they are serious about the pathway from academy to the first team.
There is the possibility of keeping players at the club beyond the transfer window and not naming them in the 20-man squad, though they would not be permitted to play in any EFL competitions.
They could, however, be loaned out to non-league, much like Abu Ogogo who was sent to Dagenham & Redbridge last season after his exile by Ben Garner. That could be the only route onto the pitch for competitive minutes for some of Rovers' players.
And with needs to address in his squad – a striker if Hanlan departs and a second left wing-back to compete with Trevor Clarke seem the obvious ones – the manager's juggling skills are sure to be tested over the coming days.
The long trip to the coastal cul-de-sac of Barrow-in-Furness and a deadline-day EFL Trophy fixture only complicate matters.
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