While GM Don Sweeney may have angered some fans with his trade of captain Brad Marchand, team CEO Charlie Jacobs threw his support behind his hockey operations and the retool/rebuild that Sweeney initiated on Friday with the trades of Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo.

In a statement released on social media, Jacobs said that while the Bruins “made our best efforts to keep Brad in black and gold for the rest of his playing career,” he wished Marchand the best of luck in Florida.

Then he reiterated the full support for team president Cam Neely and Sweeney he voiced mid-season at the Black and Gold Gala, as well as the direction the club is taking.

“Cam, Don and the hockey operations team have my full support as they make these very difficult decisions, which we collectively believe will set our franchise up for a new era of success in the future,” said Jacobs in the statement. “Our goal remains unchanged: to be a Stanley Cup Championship-drive organization. Together, we are charting a course for the next century.”

How much patience ownership has for this direction remains to be seen. Coinciding with the team’s unexpected swoon, ticket prices have gone up 4% for next season. We’ll see if the occasional patches of empty seats at the Garden we’ve now been seeing grow as the club tries to regain its footing.

Meanwhile, in the same release, Neely and Sweeney wrote glowingly about their former captain.

“Brad wore the Black and Gold with a tremendous amount of pride for 16 years. He embodied what it means to be a Bruin,” said Neely.

Added Sweeney: “Being underestimated was all the motivation Brad needed to work harder than anyone to earn a chance to grow from bottom-six agitator to NHL superstar. Then he evolved into a true leader, a captain, an example for all of those who aspired to wear the spoked-B to show them what it takes to compete and win at the highest level and, even more, to do so for the Boston Bruins.”

With Marchand, Coyle, Carlo, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau out and Casey Middlestadt, Henri Jokiharju, Jakob Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov in, it is interim coach Joe Sacco’s job to somehow keep it all together, let everyone know who’s changing for whom and that, even though management has set its course, a playoff spot is still not technically out of reach.

But Friday, as Sweeney was in Boston making his deals, Sacco was in Tampa with the team saying goodbye to friends and welcoming new Bruins.

“It was an uneasy day, right?” Sacco told reporters in Tampa before Saturday’s game. “I’ve been here now almost 11 years and on a personal side, I’ve known Marchy the whole time here, I’ve known Brandon for nine years and (Coyle) almost seven. It’s never easy to see guys of that caliber — as far as the way they handle themselves and the people that they are — go. Unfortunately, that’s the business side of the game. But we’re excited to have the guys tat are here right now and that has to be our focus.”

Third spot a charm?

Middlestadt was obtained by the B’s from Colorado in the Coyle deal a year after the Avalanche picked him up in the hopes that he would be the depth center they needed. On Friday, they decided Coyle would fill tat role better.

“Of course you want it to work out anywhere you are, so there was some disappointment with that, but I’m very excited too come to such a storied franchise with such a great tradition. I know a bunch of guys here as well,” said Middlestadt, who was the Buffalo Sabres first-round pick (eighth overall) in 2017.

While it might be harsh to call Middlestadt a bust — he has 116 points in the two previous seasons and 34 points this season — he has not quite lived up to his draft status. He hopes his third landing spot will be a charm.

“I think there is a big opportunity, especially with some of the people that have gone. I think it’s crazy to see some of the people go from here,” said Middlestadt, who was starting on a line with fellow Minnesotans Vinni Lettieri and Cole Koepke. “From afar, I can tell what they’ve meant. Maybe it’s a little bit of a new beginning and a lot of opportunities. I’ll need to play well. The main thing for me is finding the consistent game, night in and night out, I feel like when I play well, I’m really good. Maybe (I have to) work on the backup game a little bit and find the consistency every night.”

In Friday’s presser, Sweeney spoke about Middlestadt’s ability to be effective on the power play, a problem area for much of the season.

“I think I slot into a spot where I’m comfortable and I want to make plays and have some fun. I’ll obviously be out there with some good players and I’ll try to distribute the puck to them,” said Middlestadt.

Loose pucks

Jakub Lauko is now on his second tour with the Bruins. He was traded to the Wild last summer before boomeranging back to Boston in the Justin Brazeau deal. Needless to say, it’s a much different team than the one he left.

“Everyone knows that this team took a huge hit with the guys leaving, a big part of the Boston Bruins of the last few years,” said Lauko. “Marchy, Brando, (Coyle), Freddy, those guys have been around and they were the ones who were carrying the culture so it’s a big hit. So obviously it’s on us right now, and we still have guys. (David Pastrnak’s) been here a long time, (Charlie McAvoy’s) not playing but he’s still on the team and big presence in the locker room and everywhere. But it’s on us to keep going and to keep paving the way from the guys that left a big mark behind.” … Jokiharju revealed that he had requested a trade out of Buffalo.

“I’d heard there was some interest from Boston and I was really pleased when I heard it was Boston,” said Jokiharju.