And that is because most of the main actors next season will be new. For a start, chief executive Ross Dykes is retiring after a 10-year stint in the seat. His replacement is former Mainland Football chief executive Mike Coggan.
Volts captain and opening batsman Aaron Redmond has retired after 11 seasons. His record at the top of the order compares with the best in the province, so he will be sorely missed.
And the coach Dimitri Mascarenhas may also be absent. He has been appointed Black Caps bowling coach for upcoming tour of England.
It is a temporary gig but, if he makes a success of the role, there is every chance the contract will be extended which would leave Otago looking for a new coach.
Change is inevitable but this is more of a seismic shift and it is hard to avoid cliches such as a changing of the guard and a new era. But it really is all of those things.
In the past two or three years, players such as Craig Cumming, Warren McSkimming and Ian Butler have retired, while Neil Broom moved back to Christchurch this season.
Add Redmond's departure and that is a lot of experience to have lost. Jesse Ryder's future with the Volts is unclear as well.
The talented left-hander was unhappy towards the end of the summer and may not return for a third season.
Replacing players of that calibre takes time and perhaps some clever recruitment.
Otago has done well providing opportunities for the likes of transplanted Aucklanders Mark Craig and Jimmy Neesham.
Both have gone on to represent the Black Caps and, if Otago is going to remain competitive while it is rebuilding, a similar signing or two would be useful.
In the meantime, there is some good talent with which to work. Jacob Duffy (20) had a breakthrough season.
He struggled early in the summer and got knocked around in the twenty20 tournament.
But he stuck to his task and was excellent in the one-day tournament with 18 wickets at an average of 23. He was even better in the Plunket Shield.
He claimed three consecutive five-wicket bags towards the end of the campaign which kept the Volts in the hunt, and he finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 45 at 24.06.
He was rewarded with a place in the Black Caps squad on the tour of England next month. He will play only in the warm-up games but it will be a good experience for the promising right-armer.
Duffy's new ball partner, Neil Wagner, did not have his best summer and his spot in the Black Caps test squad in under enormous pressure with Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry both vying for the role of third seamer.
The left-armer has dominated at first-class level and the Volts will need him back near his best if they are going to challenge for the first-class banner.
Batting-wise, players such as Michael Bracewell and Hamish Rutherford will need to assert themselves.
Rutherford's spot at the top of the Black Caps test order is under pressure with Martin Guptill emerging as a threat.
And Bracewell had a solid season on the back of more impressive one in which he scored four first-class hundreds. Both will need to score heavily.
Otago's top order was a little vulnerable this summer and it is hard to put the opposition under pressure if the top five or six are not scoring many hundreds. That needs to change.
Gloveman Derek de Boorder and all-rounder Sam Wells shape as replacements for Redmond in the captaincy role.
Both have experience leading the side. Rutherford might be outside chance as well, while Nathan McCullum could take the reins during the twenty20 campaign or one-day tournament.
Assistant coach Nathan King was overlooked for Mascarenhas when Otago was looking for a coach for this season.
He is bound to put his hand up if the job becomes available again.
