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Collingwood veteran Travis Varcoe's AFL pre-season program has suffered a major setback with the speedy midfielder to have shoulder surgery.

Collingwood veteran Travis Varcoe will miss the start of the AFL season after suffering a shoulder injury that requires surgery.

The 31-year-old was hurt during a pre-season training drill on Monday and must undergo a shoulder reconstruction.

"The injury is disappointing for Trav, who has put a lot of work into his pre-season training," Magpies performance manager Marcus Wagner said.

"While Trav will miss some early rounds of the season, we'll have a better idea of his return date once he's out of surgery."

Varcoe has played 83 games for the Magpies since switching from Geelong (138 appearances) before the 2015 season.

He played 16 games last season but wasn't selected for either of Collingwood's finals.

The Pies have been hampered by lengthy injury lists in recent years, with players of the calibre of Jamie Elliott, Jordan De Goey, Taylor Adams, Darcy Moore, Ben Reid and Adam Treloar among the significant casualties.