The New Jersey Devils will open the season without their No. 1 center, Travis Zajac, who will be out until mid-November after undergoing an Achilles' tendon repair Thursday.
"There's no panic. That's what we have depth for, and a minor league system," general manager Lou Lamoriello said.
Lamoriello said he did not know whether the vital tendon in Zajac's left calf was severed.
Lamoriello said Zajac suffered the injury during off-ice training that involved jumping. It is expected to require three months of recovery.
"It's a simple procedure, but it's three months," Lamoriello said. "He'll be back sooner than you think."
Zajac finished third on the team in scoring last season with 13 goals and 31 assists and played in all 82 games.
The 26-year-old, who will be late to start his sixth NHL season, has scored 89 goals and 160 assists in 408 NHL games. He was the Devils' first pick, 20th overall, in 2004.
