Blue Jackets right winger Jared Boll could return as soon as next week after suffering a broken right foot on Thursday in a 4-2 loss to Dallas.

“Jared, from my understanding, may be back in a week,” interim coach Todd Richards said. “It’s just going to be a pain tolerance thing for him. Once he can get his foot back in his boot and there is no pain, he can play.”

Boll suffered the injury when he blocked a shot by Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray early in the first period. He continued to play in the second period but did not return for the third. Richards said he did not know exactly which bone or bones Boll broke, but “it sounds like they’re the right ones.”

“As far as breaks go, that’s probably a good break,” Richards said.

Boll had played in 40 consecutive games. He missed the first 14 games of the season because of a broken right thumb suffered during a fight in the final exhibition game of the preseason. He has one goal, one assist and 89 penalty minutes. He had seven goals, five assists and 182 penalty minutes in 73 games last season.

Defenseman Marc Methot, who suffered a broken jaw on Thursday, could miss the remainder of the season. He had surgery to repair the damage yesterday.

Mason gears up

Goaltender Steve Mason will start against the Minnesota Wild tonight because of a back injury suffered by Curtis Sanford on Thursday. Mason was penciled in to start on Sunday against Anaheim but might have to play both games.

“Mason will have the game (Saturday), and we’ll have to see about Sunday,” Richards said.

The Blue Jackets had hoped to give Mason an extra day to adjust to a new, larger set of pads that he began using on Tuesday. Mason has been permitted to use the larger pads under the latest NHL rules, but had preferred not to do so.

York, Prout join Jackets

The Blue Jackets placed Methot and defenseman Brett Lebda (broken right thumb) on injured reserve and recalled goaltender Allen York from Chicago of the ECHL and defenseman Dalton Prout from Springfield of the American Hockey League.

York will serve as Mason’s backup for now. York played in four games for the Blue Jackets in October and November and went 0-1 with a 3.53 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage. He has split the rest of his season between Springfield and Chicago.

Prout, 21, is an AHL rookie after spending five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. He was a sixth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2010 draft.

Prout, 6 feet 3 and 221 pounds, has three goals, four assists and 41 penalty minutes in 41 games with Springfield.

Buzzed off

Minnesota coach Mike Yeo ripped into his team on Thursday after a 5-2 loss to Vancouver.

“We flat-out stink the last two months,” Yeo said. “We stink.”

The Wild is 5-14-2 since Dec. 13, and Richards said he was wary of facing an angry team that is fighting for its playoff life.

“Based on what I’ve read, the coach wasn’t happy and players weren’t happy,” Richards said. “We’re going to be going into a hornet’s nest.”

smitchell@dispatch.com