Max Pacioretty was off to a nice start this season, but now he’ll be out three-to-four weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in Montreal on Saturday.
The Montreal Canadiens didn’t provide any other details about the surgery beyond that window for a return.
The 24-year-old forward had four assists and 10 shots on goal in his first three games of the 2013 campaign. He also rebounded from that infamous Zdeno Chara hit from the 2010-11 last season, scoring 33 goals and 65 points en route to a hefty six-year contract.
This timing is tough for the Habs as well; they’re currently in tense negotiations with another key young player in 23-year-old blueliner P.K. Subban.