MONTREAL - Montreal Canadiens left-winger Max Pacioretty will miss most of the pre-season due to an off-ice knee injury sustained while training in Florida, 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 said the injury will not require surgery, but 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.