As his teammates were finishing practice, Blue Jackets winger Raffi Torres stood in a Nationwide Arena corridor yesterday wearing a gray T-shirt and blue shorts.

His back was against the wall, his level of frustration almost through the roof.

"They (the Blue Jackets) have told me, 'You've got to work through it, you've got to work through it,' " Torres said of his ailing right knee. "But it's at the point right now where I can't work through it because it's so painful."

The Jackets placed Torres, 27, on injured reserve. They will recall a player from minor-league Syracuse later in the week. Meanwhile, forward Jiri Novotny will play in Torres' absence Thursday night in San Jose.

Torres said he remains on medication and has not been completely healthy since the start training camp. He added that the knee feels unstable despite medical tests that show otherwise.

The rugged forward will be out for at least a week as management, physicians and Torres agree on the best course of action.

Options include: rest, another magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopic surgery.

"There is no set plan," general manager Scott Howson said. "We will talk it over with Raffi and his agent (Eustace King) and see what they are thinking."

The Jackets acquired Torres from Edmonton on July 1 in exchange for forward Gilbert Brule. Torres spent the entire offseason rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee in which he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament Dec. 13, 2007 in Detroit.

"We have been trying to work through it in the gym and on the ice," he said. "I haven't felt 100 percent yet. It should be getting better and it's not -- it's getting worse."

It's the latest in a series of setbacks for Torres, who missed the first 10 games because of a separated shoulder he suffered in a preseason fight.

At his peak, Torres is a physical player who can alter a game with a crushing check or a big goal. He probably played his best back-to-back games during the weekend, which included his first goal against Washington on Saturday night.

But Torres was clearly laboring in the Jackets' 3-2 win over Vancouver on Monday. He lacked power and drive in his lower body, he said, and felt fatigued 20 seconds into a shift. Torres has a goal and three assists in 14 games.

"I wouldn't play me the way I've been playing (and that's) even the game I scored the goal in," he said. "I can give them so much more. If I'm not out there (hitting) I'm pretty much useless.

"If you watched my game (on Monday), you would be asking, 'Who the (heck) is that guy?' "

Howson and coach Ken Hitchcock continually have expressed support for Torres and his recovery. They know him to be a passionate player who can be hard on himself.

Both men say it's their experience that players returning from ACL injuries require a full year from surgery to completely heal.

"I don't think Raffi feels he's helping the team by trying to play through the flare-ups," Hitchcock said. "This way we'll get some good rehab in and get it to where it's more comfortable for him and we'll get him up to speed again.

"I don't think we are looking at a long-term situation, but he's not able to play his game on a consistent basis. These are not unexpected things coming back from this type of injury."

treed@dispatch.com