Hibs head coach Shaun Maloney says he has to ensure a loss like Martin Boyle's exit can never be felt again.
The Easter Road club have struggled in front of goal since the Australian international's mega-money move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Faisaly.
They have failed to score in seven matches and have scored more than once in four of the 13 games following Boyle's exit at the end of January.
Mixed form means the Hibees head into a defining Edinburgh derby with Hearts this weekend knowing they need a win to guarantee themselves a Premiership top six place.
Even a draw might not be enough to secure it, and former Belgium coach Maloney is aware that Hibs' top scorer leaving has had too much of a negative impact.
He told Sky Sports: “I love the size of the club and I love the expectation. We’re in a place now because of what happened in the last seven to ten days of the window. We’ve really struggled in certain areas.
“It’s my job to fix that and really make sure that next season we’re never as reliant as we were on one player in an attacking area.
“I really supported the decision. With the way the window went and that particular move, we couldn’t say no.
“And unless the processes are right to replace him, then we can’t take that risk. We’ve got a really good recruitment team. I get on very well with the CEO (Ben Kensell) and it was the right decision.
“It just has an impact and we’ve seen that. I have to try and find the solution. At times we have, at times we haven’t but I hope that we find it this weekend.”
