St Kilda have conceded their attack was too focused on Max King during a failed AFL finals bid last year as they attempt to build a new game plan under Ross Lyon.
Star forward King is vital to the Saints' success, but will miss at least the first month of Lyon's first season back at the helm after undergoing shoulder surgery in December.
The 22-year-old's absence comes with Lyon facing a tough ask to get the Saints off to a good start, with fixtures against three of last year's finalists in the opening five rounds.
King was the Saints leading goal-kicker and No.1 target in attack last year by a long way, but defender Callum Wilkie can see positives in lining up without his 202cm teammate early in season.
"He's obviously an important player but I'm excited for the opportunity to actually learn to play and use the ball going forward without him," Wilkie said.
"I felt like last year we were too Max-focused and pretty predictable for opposition teams, who knew we were just going to kick it to him.
"It's exciting for however many games he misses - whether it's two, five or whatever - to learn to play without him.
"By the time he gets back, hopefully we've learnt to play without him and we don't just go to him all the time.
"He is a focal point of the offence but he's not everything."
Fellow key position players Jack Hayes and Matt Allison are also out of action because of foot injuries, prompting St Kilda to trial second-year utility Mitch Owens in attack.
Veteran forward Tim Membrey and Cooper Sharman are available and are set to line up when the Saints host Lyon's former club Fremantle in round one.
"Owens is damn hard to play on," Wilkie said.
"He's so strong ... I don't know what the limit is for him because he's so hard to play on already.
"He's going to be a strong option for us going forward in the first half of the year when we might have a few players down."
Wilkie said the Saints have focused on building upon a strong fitness base to improve their running game and speed of attack as they seek a return to finals action for the first time since 2020.
