MONTREAL

Max Pacioretty may miss beginning of season due to knee injury

The Canadian Press Published Friday, July 10, 2015 5:25PM EDT

Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty goes up against the glass as he celebrates his goal past Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond during second period of Game 2 NHL Stanley Cup first round playoff hockey action Friday, April 17, 2015 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

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Montreal Canadiens left-winger Max Pacioretty is injured and will miss most of the pre-season the team announced on Friday.

He is expected to need 12 weeks of recovery, so he will likely miss all or most of training camp and the NHL pre-season.

Montreal's first game of the regular season is on Oct. 7 in Toronto against the rival Maple Leafs.

The injury occurred on Thursday. The team gave no other details of the injury.

Pacioretty plays left wing on Montreal's top line. The 26-year-old led the team with 37 goals and a career-high 67 points last season and added another five goals and two assists in 11 playoff games. It was his second straight season with more than 35 goals.