Scratch Kyle Palmieri off the list of potential Bruins trade targets.
The winger has instead been traded to the East Division rival Islanders along with Devils teammate Travis Zajac.
The Islanders are sending a first-round pick, a conditional fourth-round pick and forwards A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst to New Jersey in return, while the Devils are retaining 50% of the salary on both Palmieri and Zajac's contracts. Both players are unrestricted free agents after the season.
It's a significant move for the Islanders, who are tied with the Capitals atop the division and who have been looking for forward help since losing captain Anders Lee to a season-ending injury last month.
Palmieri has eight goals and nine assists in 34 games this season, while Zajac has seven and 11 in 33. To get both for just one first-round pick and no top prospects has to be viewed as a win.
The Bruins reportedly had interest in both Palmieri and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from New Jersey. Kulikov, another pending free agent, obviously could still be an option.
There are still other forwards Don Sweeney could go after, including rentals like Taylor Hall or possibly Mike Hoffman, but for now it's a division rival that has struck first.
The Bruins have already struggled against the Islanders this season, going 0-3-2 against them so far, and now must deal with an even better New York squad. On top of that, Palmieri has been a Bruins killer this season, scoring five goals in six games against them.