Zac Dawson has walked out on St Kilda and appears destined to join Fremantle via the pre-season draft.
The Saints confirmed on Thursday that Dawson had turned down the offer of a contract extension.
Dawson's decision will likely pave the way for him to be reunited with former St Kilda coach Ross Lyon at the Dockers.
Lyon arguably saved Dawson's career when he threw the defender a lifeline in the 2009 rookie draft after being delisted by Hawthorn.
Dawson went on to play 63 out of a possible 74 matches with the Saints over three seasons including three unsuccessful grand finals.
The 25-year-old has played 77 career matches in total since debuting for the Hawks in 2005.
Meanwhile, five of Dawson's former team-mates - Sean Dempster, Farren Ray, Brett Peake, Dean Polo and Raph Clarke - have re-signed with the club and Jason Blake has committed to playing with St Kilda next year despite having to be delisted as a veteran-listed player so he can be added to the club's primary list.
St Kilda head of football Chris Pelchen was buoyed by the re-signings.
"We are extremely pleased to have finalised our primary list ahead of the 2011 AFL National Draft," he said.
"These players have indicated their commitment to the Saints, supporting the future direction of the St Kilda Football Club."
The Saints have also offered former Hawthorn forward Beau Dowler a chance to revive his AFL career after he was granted permission to join pre-season training.
The 2005 No.6 draft pick is competing with former Essendon forward Marcus Marigliani and VFL players James Hallahan, Danny Hughes, Michael Lourey, James Magner and Ben Casley for a spot on the rookie list.