MELBOURNE forward Cameron Pedersen will miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed he broke his wrist against St Kilda on Sunday.
And in further bad news for the Demons, defender Jack Grimes (thumb) will also be sidelined for up to two months.
Pedersen was substituted out of Sunday's clash against the Saints during the third quarter, while Grimes played out the match.
Pedersen, who is out of contract at season's end, has played 36 games in three seasons with the Demons, after being traded from North Melbourne at the end of 2012.
The absence of Pedersen, who played his 50th game against Port Adelaide in round nine, opens the door for key forward Chris Dawes to return against Geelong on Sunday.
Dawes, who missed three weeks with a calf problem, was managed through limited minutes when playing for the Scorpions in the VFL on Saturday.
Grimes, the former skipper, will be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
“Cam had a pretty bad injury on his wrist. He both fractured and dislocated his wrist,” elite performance manager Dave Misson told the Melbourne website.
“He had an initial operation after the game on Sunday night and he’ll have the main reconstructive surgery on Friday, this week. He’ll be out for the season.
“[Grimes] broke his thumb in a spoiling situation and he had surgery yesterday (Monday) afternoon.
“He’ll have wires in that thumb for about four weeks, so he’ll be six to eight weeks away.”
Midfielder Ben Newton suffered a concussion while playing for Casey in the VFL on Saturday, forcing him from the field before half-time.
The Demons have listed Newton, who has played eight senior games in 2015, as a test for this week.
Youngster Jayden Hunt, the club's fourth round selection (No. 57 overall) in the 2013 draft, will also miss up to a month after breaking his jaw in the VFL at the weekend.
In better news for the Demons, defender Colin Garland is only expected to miss one game after having surgery to repair a fracture in his hand he sustained against Collingwood in the Queen's Birthday fixture.
