While St Kilda cut Tom Curren, Luke Delaney, Josh Saunders and Brenton Payne despite Sandringham's ongoing finals charge, the Demons have decided not to move on any players while their affiliate's season remains alive.

It's understood the decision is also in part due to the long break ahead of the first list lodgment date on October 31.

The move appeared to work on the weekend as the Scorpions ended their run of 11 straight finals defeats with a thumping win over Footscray in Saturday's qualifying final. Casey now have a week off ahead of their preliminary final meeting with the winner of the Sandringham-Williamstown semi-final.

The futures at the Demons of former captain Jack Grimes and Collingwood premiership player Chris Dawes hang in the balance. Both Dawes and journeyman swingman Cameron Pedersen are out of contract. The likelihood that both will be at the club next year is slim given the emergence of young Dees key forwards Jesse Hogan and Sam Weideman.

Coming off a restricted pre-season, Dawes played just six AFL games in 2016, kicking four goals.

Grimes, 27, is a restricted free agent, and was afforded just two senior games this year. Others without deals for 2017 include Matt Jones, Dean Terlich, Mitchell White, Josh Wagner and Max King. Terlich and Jones both finished in the top four of the club's best and fairest in 2013, but Terlich hasn't played an AFL game in more than two years, while Jones is now just a fringe player.

The Demons have been strongly linked to suspended Essendon defender Michael Hibberd – the only one of the dozen Dons banned this year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to have requested a trade away from the club.

.Elsewhere both Essendon and St Kilda announced new contracts on Monday.  The Saints on Monday announced new two-year deals for Darren Minchington and Nathan Wright – both of whom are now contracted until the end of 2018. The Bombers re-signed defender Michael Hartley. The former Collingwood rookie has penned a two-year deal, tying him to the club until the end of 2018. Drafted from VFL club Coburg, Hartley played 19 games this year – helping to shore up a back line depleted by the suspensions of Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley and Taye Pears, as well as the departures of Dustin Fletcher and Jake Carlisle.

Hartley told Essendon's website he was rapt to have recommitted. "The playing group is in a really good place, the next few years are going to be exciting for the football club and it's great to be a part of it," Hartley said.

"I'm pumped that I'm going to have the opportunity to play alongside Michael Hurley down back. He's one of just a number of really experienced players who will come back next season, but we're under no illusion that it's going to take plenty of hard work if we're to be competitive.

"Playing under Woosha [coach John Worsfold] has been fantastic for my development, I've got a lot of hard work ahead of me but I'm really excited to be able to spend another two years learning and developing in the elite football environment he's established."

Worsfold lauded the New South Welshman. "Harts has been one of the exciting young players we have seen step up to the challenge of playing and competing at the elite level this season," Worsfold said.

"He has worked extremely hard on his development this season, he's done a tremendous job for us as playing at full-back and he's also learnt a lot from playing on some of the competitions big power forwards.

"We're really excited about where we are heading as a club and to have Harts part of this journey next year is fantastic."