Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal had surgery Tuesday to repair a core muscle injury and is expected to make a full recovery by the start of the season, the team announced.
The 10-year veteran, who suffered the injury during offseason training, had the procedure performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia.
"Eric notified us of the injury late last week," general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "... By having this procedure now, Dr. Meyers believes Eric will be able to return to action for training camp and be at full health for the start of the regular season."
The 29-year-old Staal, who has been the team's captain since 2010, led the Hurricanes in assists (40) and points (61) last season. The four-time All-Star holds more than 20 franchise scoring records, including goals (289), assists (399), points (688) and games (769).