Powe was helped off the ice after a frightening collision with Washington’s Matt Hendricks early in the second period of the Rangers’ 2-1 win against the Capitals on Sunday.

“I missed him right away on the bench, especially protecting a lead,” Tortorella said. “I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. He doesn’t have the stats, but it’s not always about the stats. He’s done a lot of good things in his role.”

Powe was said to be feeling better a day after the collision. He appeared to be unconscious after the hit and was down on the ice for several minutes looking dazed, and the team is handling the injury with caution.

Down one of their best penalty killers, the Rangers recalled physical forward Brandon Mashinter from the team’s AHL club, the Connecticut Whale. It is not yet clear whether Mashinter will make his debut or whether Chris Kreider will play in place of Powe in Tuesday’s game against Montreal.

“I’ve been interested to look at Mashinter. He’s an interesting one to me, but I’m not sure,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure what the lineup’s going to be. A number of things come into play.”

Both skaters practiced with the team Monday.

Mashinter, 24, has five goals and six assists in 14 games this season for the Whale. He previously played 13 NHL games for the San Jose Sharks in 2010-11.

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Similar to the situation between Scott Gomez and the Montreal Canadiens, Redden, 35, is being prohibited by the Rangers from playing for the remainder of the 2013 season in the team’s anticipation of buying him out this summer.

The fear is that he could suffer an injury while playing for the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. According to the recently brokered collective bargaining agreement, teams are allowed two amnesty buyouts beginning this summer to get under the salary cap. However, teams cannot buy out an injured player.

Montreal already informed Gomez that he will not be permitted to play before the buyout. The NHL does not feel the Canadiens did anything wrong in how they decided to handle the situation, sources told ESPN.

Redden’s six-year, $39 million contract has kept him buried in the minors since 2011.

The Rangers have been in contact with both the league and Redden’s agent, Don Meehan, on the matter and, according to one source, they have told Meehan that he is free to seek a trade for his client.

The situation is not believed to be acrimonious.

Reached via email, Meehan told ESPNNewYork.com that they are “working on the situation” and that he hoped to have more clarity by Tuesday.

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