Charlie Jacobs’ Message To Bruins Fans After ‘Challenging’ Season

The 2024-25 Bruins season failed to meet expectations for everyone from the fans all the way up to the owner’s box.

Boston missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, and it will be an unusually quiet spring for the Black and Gold. While there won’t be postseason hockey on TD Garden ice, B’s CEO Charlie Jacobs pledged Tuesday the team would waste no time plotting its return to the playoffs.

“The 2024-25 season was undoubtedly one of the most challenging of my tenure with the Boston Bruins,” Jacobs acknowledged in a letter to fans posted on social media, which can be read in its entirety here. ” … Today I share your disappointment as the team clears out their locker stalls ahead of a long offseason.”

Jacobs also applauded fans for their “unwavering loyalty” despite the challenging season, and added the organization remains fixated on winning another Stanley Cup. That goal is “unchanged,” he said.

“It’s clear that we have a lot of work to do,” he admitted, “and that work is already underway.”

That work began at the NHL trade deadline when the Bruins ultimately decided to part ways with a handful of veterans. No move was more significant and emotional than trading captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

“Despite how difficult it was 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,” Jacobs said.

There’s no allusion or hint of any major off-ice changes this offseason, and if anything, the Bruins’ brain trust has already turned the page to the most important summer in a long time on Causeway Street.

“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,” Jacobs explained. “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.”

While building for the future, especially when it comes to giving young players more responsibility, can take time, Jacobs also made it clear, “There is only one way forward from here; expectations and accountability are higher than ever.”

The first major step for the Bruins is out of their hands, though. Boston will have a close eye on the final two days of the season to see where it lands in the draft pecking order ahead of the NHL draft lottery in May.