Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs kicked off the club’s annual end-of-season presser by glancing to his left and declaring his faith in the men with whom he was sharing the dais – team president Cam Neely, GM Don Sweeney and coach Jim Montgomery.

If they’re all in the same situation a year from now, with two more rounds of Stanley Cup playoffs still on the table, it’s a good bet that a different tune will be sung.

That’s not to say that any of those men did a poor job. Sweeney put together competitive roster with little spending money under the cap and after the retirement of two generational players plus the departures of several other impact players. While some coaching decisions can be second-guessed in the playoffs, Montgomery overall did a good job in making a patchwork roster into a cohesive team that collected 109 points and won a playoff round. And even Neely deserves some kudos in how he executed the team’s Centennial season, making it fun and interesting for both fans and the alumni.

But now, with approximately $21 million in cap space, Sweeney has the opportunity to get his team right back into the top echelon of the National Hockey League. It’s a Grade A scoring chance that cannot be heeled wide like so many were in the six-game loss to the Panthers.

While there’s some important internal business to take care of, the greatest need is to somehow increase the scoring, the lack of which was chief among the reasons that the Bruins are not still playing hockey.

Sweeney said that there were rebounds to gotten to that weren’t and that there could be systematic tweaks that might coax more offense out of his team. But he knows he’s got to do some shopping for help up front, and it sounds as if he’ll focus on the wing.

Sweeney promised the club will be “aggressive” in fixing the issue.

“There are things that we need to address, that I need to address from the standpoint of free agency and/or internal growth,” said Sweeney. “I think a bunch of guys, like (Charlie) Coyle and (Pavel) Zacha) were able to step forward. And they were cast as a little bit of misfits in that regard. We didn’t see it that way. And they stepped forward and several other guys did, too.. We have to complement. I have to be able to find some players that can come in and provide secondary scoring for us.”

There should be some very good wings available. Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart, Patrick Kane, Tyler Toffoli and Jonathan Marchessault head the list of wings scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Sweeney obviously could not list the plays he planned to target, but Neely laid out some of the traits he was looking for.

“We’re not as fast as we’d like to be,” said Neely. “Some of that had to do with last offseason and what we really hamstring into really trying to accomplish. And I think Don and our pro staff did a really good job last offseason and built a team that competed the way they did. But there are areas where we still need to improve and we’re going to address that this offseason. But we need to get a little faster and I’d like to see a little more 50-50 puck battles wins. That’s an area where you have to want the puck more than the other team.”

There is one player still in-house that would fit at least parrt of that bill. Jake DeBrusk is set to be a UFA in a little over a month away. The two sides have not been able to come to an agreement. And the closer a player gets to free agency, the more enticing it often sounds.

Sweeney typically keeps negotiations close to the vest, but he didn’t provide any promising clues that a deal could get done.

“Negotiation’s a two-way street,” said Sweeney. “We took an aggressive position with Jake, no different than with other players who’ve chosen not to resign and explore. That’s within his right at this time of year. Do I see a path (for his return)? Yes, there’s a path…He’s been a big part of our group. He elevated in the playoffs and I’d prefer to have Jake DeBrusk on our team. But he has an opportunity in front of him that he may pursue. I don’t have a clear answer for you today. But I know the position we’ve taken. I feel very comfortable. But it didn’t get us to the finish line, either.”

If Sweeney is to get the Bruins back where they belong, he will need to cross the finish line with a couple of consequential players. It should be an interesting summer….

Along with the DeBrusk issue, what to do with Linus Ullmark is also pressing. The goalie likes Boston and playing for the Bruins. And the Bruins like him. But depending on what number rising star Jeremy Swayman gets in his next deal that needs to be signed this summer, Ullmark could be a luxury they can no longer afford. He has a 16-team no-trade list and he reportedly flexed that muscle once already at the trade deadline.

“We’re going to find a landing spot with Jeremy Swayman and, if we can make the math work, we’re going to have the best tandem. If we can’t, we’re going to explore,” said Sweeney. “And maybe Linus comes to us and changes his mind. That may happen as well. Right now, he’s really happy. We were happy to sign Linus. And in a perfect world, we would keep the tandem because it’s damn good. But we’re going to explore opportunities. My phone’s going to ring and I’m going to make calls. That’s what the job requires.”…

Sweeney said that while he’s informed his pending free agents what direction he might be going in, he said there has been nothing definitive with anyone.

Asked if he saw a path forward for re-signing Pat Maroon, Sweeney said it would be dependent on Maroon’s health. He had back surgery in February and returned for two regular season games and the playoffs….

The GM also said that no player is scheduled for surgery as of now…

In reviewing Brad Marchand’s first season as captain, Sweeney said it was a work in progress, as Marchand himself has noted.

“Everyone knows Brad’s personality. He’s going to look to embrace everything and shoulder everything he possible can,” said Sweeney. “Cam and I and Jimmy all tried to have conversations with him to say ‘You’re not doing this alone in any way, shape or form.’ He’s anointed as our leader. He sets the tone in practice every day. Everything is amplified with Brad, which is a such a positive attribute. He had resources to be able to tap into with Patrice (Bergeron) and other leaders he’s learned from. But he has to be his own person and he had to navigate that on his own to some degree.”

Sweeney said that once all the front-burner issues are taken care of, he’ll get together with Marchand to to try and hammer out an extension to make him “a Bruin for life.” He’s got one more year left on his deal.