NOBODY expected this from Hawthorn.

Two icons, both four-time premiership players, extraordinarily leaving for next to nothing in return.

West Coast fans are ecstatic, and in disbelief, after recruiting Sam Mitchell for a steal, while Melbourne has picked up a bargain in Jordan Lewis.

Never before has a club traded its reigning best and fairest and runner-up. If anyone but Hawthorn attempted it, there would be uproar.

As it stands this NAB AFL Trade Period, Hawthorn has lost premiership stars Mitchell, Lewis and Bradley Hill, and traded picks 14, 23, 36 and next year's first round pick.

In return, the Hawks have secured Tom Mitchell, free agent Ty Vickery and pick 10 – likely to be used in the Jaeger O'Meara chase.

They've also swapped a swag of later picks with the Eagles and Demons.

Such is the faith in Alastair Clarkson and his recruiting team to regenerate the club's ageing list that fans, many of them disgruntled, are sitting tight.

But what is the Hawks' master plan?

Forgetting that Mitchell, 34, and Lewis, 30, are club greats, there's a strong argument that all parties benefit from both stars moving on.

Mitchell and Lewis' futures will be secure for the next two-to-three years at least, while the Eagles and Demons recruit A-grade players and quality mentors for their young midfield brigades. 

It's been reported that the Hawks sounded out Mitchell and Lewis about exploring other options believing only one of them might get on board with the idea.

Certainly, Hawthorn scrambled to keep hold of Lewis once the Mitchell trade bombshell landed.

Sam Mitchell's honour roll

With both exiting together, it's nearly impossible to envisage the Hawks' engine room running as efficiently next season.

But their departures means the Hawks won't run the risk of champions Luke Hodge, Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne, plus Mitchell and Lewis, all calling it a day at the end of next season. 

Jordan Lewis's honour roll

Then there's the salary cap space cleared.

It might have been a factor in Hawthorn's chase for midfield trade targets Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara, as well as free agent Ty Vickery, who comes in to fill a desperate need as a marking forward and back-up ruckman.

Mitchell, although not as damaging as his namesake with ball in hand, will bolster the contested ball department, while O'Meara could be one of the AFL's elite midfielders, if he can get back to his explosive best.

However, after two seasons sidelined by a knee injury, it's a big if, and with two A-graders going out O'Meara might not have the luxury of easing in at Waverley.

Having traded away next year's first-round pick, it's a gamble Hawthorn needs to pay off.

Especially given the question marks hovering over the next generation of midfielders.

Injuries and form issues have stifled Will Langford's development after a breakout 2014 finals series, and former No.2 draft pick Jono O'Rourke has hardly set the world on fire in two seasons with the Hawks.

Both will now get more opportunities and need to step up next season.

Alex Woodward is talented but coming back from his third knee reconstruction, Dan Howe appears best-suited to half-back, while Sam Mitchell-clone Kieran Lovell and rookie Kade Stewart will only be entering their second seasons in 2017.

The Hawks now can't afford to lose tackling machine Liam Shiels, earmarked as the next skipper, to satisfy Gold Coast in the O'Meara trade.

Meanwhile, youngster Billy Hartung has been taken off the trade table.

With Hill defecting to Freo, the Hawks are already light on for leg speed and losing Hartung would put line-breaking wingman Isaac Smith under immense pressure.

Cyril Rioli, clever stoppage extractor Luke Breust and Paul Puopolo will have to spend more time up the ground to provide some run because, at the moment, the Hawks' midfield stocks look thin.

With that said, the growing suspicion is that that the competition's most ruthless dealmakers could be plotting more moves behind the scenes.

That could be this year, or maybe the Hawks are building a war chest for the end of 2017 to swoop on free agent stars Nat Fyfe or Dustin Martin.

That would help ease the pain for Hawthorn supporters.