Ryan has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 39 games this season. The 30-year-old has missed 12 games this season because of hand injuries: eight games from Oct. 24 to Nov. 11 because of a broken right index finger, and games Dec. 21 and Jan. 9 after that injury was aggravated.
The Senators play the New Jersey Devils at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, MSG+, NHL.TV).
"We're not talking about the same injury to the same hand, same area," Boucher said. "Is it because he overcompensated for the original injury? There's a possibility for that because (after) he came back, he was having problems taking a pass and shooting and he was playing through it. That's the thing with Bobby. It's not him pulling himself out because he's being soft or anything, it's the opposite. He wants to play through it and I've seen him play through some really tough injuries. He's certainly not one of those guys that's trying to bail out. I think he's trying to stay in so much sometimes that he might go beyond the point where it makes sense.
"That's what we're dealing with right now."
Boucher said right wing Mark Stone, who has a lower-body injury and will miss his eighth game Tuesday, could return to the lineup against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
"If we can get him in on Thursday it'll be a huge comeback for us," Boucher said. "He's power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5, top-line minutes, so you know how important that is. We'll cross our fingers for that one. Up to now the swelling is contained, so I think it's just a question now of pushing it and seeing if it continues to hold and if mobility and stamina and all that, if he can get that back for Thursday."
