Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs issues statement on future of club

After failing to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016, the offseason has arrived for the Boston Bruins much earlier than anybody anticipated, and with plenty of questions facing the organization.

And though the answers to those questions facing the club cannot and won't come in April, the offseason has officially kicked off with Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs acknowledging the 'ambitious journey' in front of the team.

"It's clear that we have a lot of workm to do, and that work is already underway," Jacobs wrote in a team-provided message to fans on Wednesday. "Despite how difficult it has been to say goodbye to some of our most beloved Bruins this season, these decisions were rooted in the best interests of the future of our franchise.

"Together with our hockey operations leaders, we are actively preparing for the NHL Draft and anticipate a top-tier selection with more draft capital in hand than we have had in recent years. We are also eager to bolster our roster through free agency and open the door for some of our young prospects to take the next steps in their development."

The biggest thing that pops out there, of course, is Jacobs acknowledging his hockey operations leaders as being involved in the process of fixing this current team. That would indicate that both general manager Don Sweeney and team president Cam Neely are indeed safe, as has been believed to be the case based on reporting from earlier this week, as well as the fact that ownership stood by their trade deadline decisions of moving on from key Bruins veterans in March and again with this statement.

And Jacobs also mentioning that the club will delve back into the free agent market is the first indication that the Bruins are prepared to spend noteworthy money once again this offseason. The club could and should go big-game hunting given their downright dire need for some more star-power behind superstar scorer David Pastrnak.

"There is only one way forward from here: expectations and accountability are higher than ever," the statement from Jacobs added.

In addition to this statement from Jacobs, the Bruins also announced that the end-of-season press conference for Jacobs, Neely, and Sweeney will be held on Wednesday, Apr. 23.