Decision time is fast approaching for Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass as he ponders which of the eight-strong group of players who are out of contract this summer he wants to keep.
At a glance it seems some decisions will be more straightforward than others.
The defence is the area most affected by the contract status with Shay Logan, Tommie Hoban, Greg Leigh, Mikey Devlin and Ash Taylor all nearing the end of their existing deals.
It is clear the Dons will bid farewell to some of their long-serving players with Logan seemingly already heading for the exit door at Pittodrie.
The Englishman, who joined the club in January 2014, has amassed 294 appearances for Aberdeen and scored 15 goals – not a bad return for a full back – but it seems the defender’s time at the club is nearing an end.
Logan has been a peripheral figure this season and ended the campaign with Championship winners Hearts after joining them on loan, but it seems a parting of the ways is looming.
Dons chairman Dave Cormack said: “He’ll be back at Aberdeen for the final few weeks of the season at which point we can rightly thank him and show our appreciation for seven years of tremendous dedication and service to the club.”
Injuries have also put Mikey Devlin and Greg Leigh’s future at the club in doubt.
Devlin has been capped by Scotland since moving to Pittodrie, but he has managed just 51 appearances since his arrival in January 2018 and only 56 minutes of action for the club this season.
Leigh, who is in his second spell at Pittodrie, has not featured since February 6 due to a hamstring tear, the second since he returned to the club in October. His first spell last season was also cut short due to injury and then the Covid-19 outbreak.
He has made 33 appearances overall, but only seven this term.
The defenders with the strongest case for being offered new deals are centre-halves Ash Taylor and Tommie Hoban. The duo have been key players for Aberdeen this season, with their partnership with Andy Considine helping give the club the third-best defensive record in the country.
For Hoban, the season has been a personal triumph as he has put major injury issues of recent seasons behind him to make 39 appearances so far.
It is our understanding Aberdeen want to keep him at Pittodrie, but he will not be short of offers from clubs in England.
The Dons are also keen on offering Taylor a new deal. He too is in his second spell at the club and has made 31 appearances for the club in this campaign. A no-nonsense defender, Taylor is keen on extending his stay at Pittodrie.
The other area of the team which Glass faces decisions about are at the other end with Niall McGinn and youngsters Bruce Anderson and Ethan Ross the final members of the contract puzzle to be solved.
What can you say about McGinn? With almost 350 games and 87 goals in his two spells with the club McGinn has been a near permanent fixture of the Dons for the last decade.
The Northern Ireland international has featured regularly in the post-Derek McInnes era and his return has coincided with an upturn in form for the team. He will be 34 by the time the Dons kick off next season in the Conference League, but he remains a valuable asset for both club and country.
Anderson, a talented young striker, is a player Glass is keen to see in action and following promising reports from his loan spell at Hamilton Accies, the striker looks set for a contract extension – which leaves Ross as the final out of contract decision to be made.
The 19 year-old winger has made one start and five appearances overall, four of them coming last month alone, which suggests the Dons are assessing him.
The fact he is still a teenager could work in his favour as Aberdeen will be reluctant to let a highly-rated youngster walk out the door.
Clearly with four other loan players to be discussed as well as the eight out of contract first team squad members there is plenty for Glass to ponder.