Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has dismissed suggestions Bayley Fritsch could be moved on, adamant his club is in a much better place than it was leading into last year's trade period.
Out of finals contention, the Demons (6-11) insist there is plenty left to play for over the last six rounds of a disappointing campaign.
Fritsch's name has been floated in the media this week as a possible trade candidate, the 2021 grand-final hero having had an inconsistent season in attack.
But Goodwin declared Melbourne's focus is firmly on adding to their list in pursuit of success, rather than paring it back for a full-scale rebuild.
It comes after the club held onto Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver last year during a turbulent trade period, when the contracted midfield stars explored their options.
"We're in a mindset of getting better and at the end of the year we'll sit down and work through what all that looks like," Goodwin told reporters on Thursday.
"We feel as a footy club we're very stable, both off the field and now on the field, from 12 months ago.
"So we feel like we're in a really, really strong position to make some really strong and good decisions moving forward about how we get to where we want to as quick as we can."
Fritsch, 28, sits third on Melbourne's goal-kicking list this season with 22 majors in 16 appearances.
"I'm not sure where that came from. That's certainly not the case," Goodwin said of the Fritsch trade suggestion.
"I've spoken a lot about our group and how we're transitioning, and we've been able to do that through the draft in the last three years.
"But part of our transition into the next team that we want to be is we need experience, and Bayley's a big part of our future.
"He's a big part of what success will look like for us moving forward."
Meanwhile, Goodwin said he had not specifically addressed Tom Sparrow's concussion with the playing group after the midfielder was knocked out by North Melbourne's Tristan Xerri in a tackle-gone-wrong.
Xerri was handed a three-match ban and Sparrow will miss at least one week under concussion protocols.
"It was a pretty nasty sort of incident, a pretty confronting one, especially for family and teammates and everyone that loves Tom," Goodwin said.
"But the pleasing thing is he's back around the footy club, he's feeling healthy and is obviously in the protocols.
"He'll work his way through those, but initially it's good signs."
