Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk is expected to miss the start of the season due to an ankle injury, according to NHL.com. Datsyuk had surgery in late June to repair ruptured tendons in his ankle, and it appears he is facing a four-to-five-month rehab timetable. "I'll miss only a little bit at the beginning of the season," Datsyuk said Sunday, but other reports project he could miss as much as a month of action. The star center has struggled with a variety of injuries over the past several years, as he has not exceeded 70 games in any of the last five seasons. In addition to the ankle, the 37-year-old Russian has missed time to a concussion as well as knee, shoulder and groin ailments. However, they haven't affected his performance on the ice, as Datsyuk tallied 26 goals and 65 assists in just 63 games this past season and has exceeded a point per game in seven of his last 10 campaigns.