38-year-old forward expected to be out 7-8 weeks

Mats Zuccarello will miss the start of the regular season for the Minnesota Wild because of a lower-body injury.

The 38-year-old forward is expected to miss a minimum of 7-8 weeks. Wild general manager Bill Guerin said on Sept. 18 that “something came up” but did not know if Zuccarello would need surgery.

“It’s basically similar to what [it was] coming into camp,” Wild coach John Hynes said Tuesday. “We knew he wasn’t going to be ready. Now we have an exact timeline of his return.”

The Wild open their regular season at the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 9.

Last season, Zuccarello was fifth on Minnesota with 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 69 games. Signed by the New York Rangers as an undrafted free agent on May 26, 2010, Zuccarello has 690 points (217 goals, 473 assists) in 904 regular-season games for the Rangers, Dallas Stars and Wild, and 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists) in 102 Stanley Cup Playoff games.