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North Melbourne's injury-plagued vice-captain Luke McDonald will miss at least 10 weeks of the AFL season because of a torn pectoral muscle.

North Melbourne vice-captain Luke McDonald will miss at least the next 10 weeks of the AFL season after having surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.

McDonald was hurt during Saturday's loss to Adelaide - his first game of the season after recovering from a thigh injury.

The 26-year-old tore a pectoral muscle attempting to lay a tackle against the Crows.

"It's a really unlucky type of injury and it's really disappointing for us given we missed Luke at the start of the year," North Melbourne's general manager of football Brady Rawlings said.

"We've gone to the specialists and the recommendation is for surgery so Luke will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair the torn pec.

"At this stage we think a recovery period in rehab probably around 10-12 weeks."

Rawlings described the absence of reigning club champion McDonlad as a "huge loss" for the winless Kangaroos.

"He's vice-captain for a reason, he won our best-and-fairest last year for a reason ... he's such an important player," Rawlings said.