BOSTON -- When the Bruins pulled the trigger on a Rick Nash trade back in February, it seemed like a no-brainer for a team vying for a deep postseason run.

Acquiring a veteran winger with size and 805 career points on his resume, the Bruins seemed to finally have the piece it needed to solidify its second line ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In 11 games with the Black and Gold, Nash seemed to be a fit -- tallying six points, averaging just under 17 minutes of ice and logging time on both the power play and penalty kill.

But an upper-body injury has sidelined the forward since March 17 -- and it doesn't look like he'll be in the lineup anytime soon.

When -- or perhaps if -- Nash makes it back into the lineup, it seems like a logical move for the Bruins to slot him back into his spot on the second line with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci.

Logical? Yes.

But a 21-year-old kid from Harvard might be throwing a bit of a wrench into that reasoning.

With DeBrusk back in the lineup Saturday after missing eight straight games with an upper-body injury, the Bruins rolled out a new trio -- with Krejci centering DeBrusk and fellow rookie Ryan Donato.

The new line put together one impressive debut, combining for three goals and eight total points in the Bruins' convincing 5-1 win over the Panthers.

Speaking after the win, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed the possibility of Rick Nash slotting down to a bottom-six role upon his return -- especially if the DeBrusk-Krejci-Donato line continues to click.

Given the injuries and continued growth of his team's young corps, Cassidy acknowledged that the move could be on the table.

But the Bruins bench boss wasn't ready to commit to a reduced role for Boston's top deadline acquisition -- especially given his chemistry with Krejci.

"Anything is possible, right," Cassidy said. "We're going to play the guys in the best spots. I liked Rick with Krejci on the right side. I have no issue with it. Health is the reason he is not there right now. And I liked Jake on the other side. With Ryan Donato coming into the mix, we didn't know what we were getting, so one comes in, the other one goes out almost, it seems.

"That's the luxury of getting these looks, but it's also taking away from developing chemistry with these injuries. Could Rick go down and play with Nash and Backes if it all worked out up top? Absolutely. I think he's going to find his scoring opportunities no matter who he plays with, but I liked him with Krech. I don't always want to go down that road in 10 days, but that would be our plan. But, let's see where we are then."