The New York Rangers on Monday assigned forward Brandon Mashinter to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, which raises the possibility of Rick Nash returning to action as soon as this week against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden or Thursday at the Dallas Stars.

Nash (head) has not played since Oct. 8, a 9-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose, when he took an elbow from Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart. He has three assists in three games.

"Every day we just see how it goes, but he's the one who tells us where he's at, he's the one who knows his body best," associate coach Scott Arniel told BlueshirtsUnited.com on Sunday. "If he says he's ready to go Tuesday that's great for us. If he needs more days, we'll certainly have to be cautious."

A healthy scratch the past two games, Mashinter skated in six games for the Rangers and has four assists in six games for the Wolf Pack.