LACHIE Henderson is far and away Carlton's No.1 priority player re-signing this season.

Of all the Blues set to come out of contract at the end of 2015, no player is as important to Carlton's medium-term on-field prospects as the 25-year-old who should become the club's No.1 forward target in 2015.

Prospective 2015 free agent Chris Judd showed against Collingwood on Sunday that he remains close to Carlton's best player, but if the 31-year-old re-signs at end of this year it will be for one more season at most.

And as important as fellow free agent Matthew Kreuzer, 25, could be to Carlton in coming seasons he must first get over his recurring foot problems before he can even think of getting back to his best.

Henderson and Kreuzer aside, all of the Blues' key 'twenty-somethings' are signed up to at least the end of 2016.

Chris Yarran, Troy Menzel and Levi Casboult are locked away until then, Michael Jamison, Dale Thomas and Andrew Walker until the end of 2017, captain Marc Murphy until 2018 and Bryce Gibbs until 2019.

Henderson said on Monday he would wait until later this season to start serious contract talks with the Blues, preferring for now to focus on returning to form after his injury-plagued 2014 season.

There was nothing sinister in Henderson's comments. He was merely using the jargon of the modern out-of-contract player.

Gary Ablett, Lance Franklin and James Frawley all hid behind similar terms and moved clubs, but so did Travis Cloke and Jeremy Cameron and they stayed.

One thing is clear – Henderson won't be short of opposition offers if he decides to test the market.

It is understood that before the Western Bulldogs entered the race for then-Giant Tom Boyd in last year's trade period, they offered Henderson a five-year contract worth about $750,000 a season.

Henderson's decision to turn his back on such serious coin says plenty about his commitment to the Blues.

However, the former Brisbane Lion might want to wait to see how the Blues perform this year after turning over 22 players in the past two seasons.

He might also want to wait to see whether coach Mick Malthouse will have his contract extended beyond 2015.

And the Blues will probably be content to wait to see how Henderson performs now that he is back to full fitness and won't have Jarrad Waite alongside him in the forward 50.

When Henderson's ready to talk, it's a fair bet the Blues won't be offering him $750,000 a season.

The Bulldogs' determination to secure a key forward last October had a massive inflationary effect on the offers they made to Henderson and Boyd.

Nonetheless, the Blues' offer must be one that reflects how important Henderson has become at Princes Park.

Carlton has been inventive in overhauling its list in the past two seasons.

However, if that list regeneration is going to work, the Blues need to hang on to the key building blocks of their new-look player group.

A key-position player who is about to enter the peak of his career fits that bill precisely.

The Blues cannot afford to let him go.