ST KILDA young gun Max King is expected to undergo a shoulder reconstruction after suffering an injury at training on Monday, which will delay his start to the 2023 season by months.

The 22-year-old injured himself in a marking contest at RSEA Park on Monday, the first day of pre-season training for the Saints' main group. Scans on Tuesday confirmed the severity of the injury.

King will meet with a surgeon on Tuesday afternoon to determine the next step, but the Saints are expecting he will require a left shoulder reconstruction.

The 2018 No.4 pick has been back at training for the past fortnight, joining the Saints' first-to-fourth-year players under the watch of new senior coach Ross Lyon.

St Kilda football boss Geoff Walsh said the club doesn't expect King to be available for round one at this stage, with a clearer timeline to come following surgery.

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"Obviously this is an extremely disappointing setback for Max," Walsh said.

"He had come back for pre-season in really great condition, which is a credit to his professionalism; a trait we know will stand him in good stead as he works through his rehab over the next few months.

"The recovery and rehabilitation period for this injury will be a number of months, which we will provide updates on as he progresses through his rehab program – suffice to say his return to play will not be until the season is well underway."

The timeline for a return from a shoulder reconstruction is traditionally 20 weeks but can be closer to six months depending on the strength and range of movement.

With winger Jack Billings facing a race against the clock to be fit in time for round one following back surgery in September, and midfielder-forward Jade Gresham still recovering from a PCL reconstruction, the Saints will now need to deal with the absence of King in the early stages of 2023. 

King missed his first season in the AFL after recovering from the knee reconstruction that ruined his draft year, but has since emerged as one of the most exciting young key forwards in the game. 

The Haileybury College product backed up an eye-catching 38-goal haul in 2021 with 52 majors this year.

He missed the opening round of the 2021 season due to a concussion he suffered in a freak incident on a golf course in March of last year.

St Kilda used mature-age recruit Jack Hayes as another target in attack in the early stages of last season after signing him during the pre-season supplemental selection period deadline, before the 25-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in round six.

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Hayes is nearing a return to full fitness, along with Nick Coffield, who underwent the same surgery in February. 

The Saints have invited delisted pair Liam Stocker and Josh Eyre to train with the club before Christmas, ahead of the supplemental selection period deadline on February 15. 

The club might also look at other options to provide more depth in attack via the same mechanism, following the retirement of Paddy Ryder in August.

St Kilda currently has two vacant list spots following last week’s NAB AFL Draft and Rookie Draft.