The Bruins made the requisite progress in Year One of the Great Retool. But they are still a giant step or two away from being an actual Stanley Cup contender.

That was the general gist of 45-minute rehash and look ahead from CEO Charlie Jacobs, team president Cam Neely and GM Don Sweeney on Wednesday at the Garden.

Simply put, they are not good enough now to compete with the top teams in the league who are still playing hockey. Their performance against the Buffalo Sabres in the first round made that obvious.

“We need more talent. We need more speed,” said Neely. “That’s something we have to try to acquire in one way, shape of form. But you look at the elite teams in the league and we’re not there.”

That part of the job will fall upon Sweeney.

The team accomplished much of what management it reasonably could, give the turnover from last season’s trade deadline. The B’s were a tougher out and, in the regular season at least, they made the Garden an unpleasant place to play for most teams. And they had a 100-point season, which exceeded most, if not all predictions, on their way to a playoff berth.

But all season, they allowed more high danger chances and leaned too heavily on excellent goaltending. And in the playoffs, the thinness of the talent showed up. Sweeney talked about needing to make more in-game adjustments now that the foundation of coach Marco Sturm’s hybrid man/zone system has been implemented. More talent would help him to do that.

“(Cutting down chances against) is definitely an area that we have to continue to get better at. It has been a staple of our organization and we had a big change and hopefully our players continue to adapt to it,” said Sweeney, who said the team played to its desired standards at times but not consistently enough.

The talent level is tied to the X’s and O’s.

“That’s part of the process for us to continue to deepen our roster, to add some speed to our roster so that when Marco wants to flip a switch and change the system, he feels more comfortable to do that,” said Sweeney.

One thing they need to find, and Neely laid out on the table, is a number one center. They thought it was going to be Elias Lindholm when they signed him to a seven-year, $54.25 million contract two summers ago. But he has not been able to be that guy.

“We all in this room recognize we don’t have a true number one C. That’s something we want to try to rectify, whether it’s this offseason or those guys (Fraser Minten or James Hagens) growing into it. But it’s something we know is needed,” said Neely.

Sweeney certainly sounded like he was leaning toward developing one in-house, whether it’s Minten or perhaps down the road Hagens. True number one centers, guys who excel at both ends of the ice like a Patrice Bergeron or Anze Kopitar or Sasha Barkov, don’t often change teams.

“When you do make a call about a player of that nature, the guy on the other side says, ‘There’s not even 32 of them in the league,’ ” said Sweeney. “We feel pretty good about this year that, by committee, our guys did a pretty good job. And Fraser spent some time up in that spot, which is not an easy spot to play in. You’re seeing a hell of lot harder matchups, you’re playing with a star player and you’re trying to navigate (your own game).”

It sounded again like the approach with Hagens is to allow him to get his feet under him at wing and then try him at center. How long that takes will be up to him.

“I think it’s fool’s gold to try and accelerate somebody in their natural progression,” said Sweeney.

As for Lindholm, he’s been hindered by a back injury for his two seasons with the Bruins. What is the concern level there?

“Elias talked about what his summer is going to look like and how he’s going to attack that, so right away he’s aware that he would like to train a little differently and adapt to what he needs to do to be healthy enough to make the impact he wants to make,” said Sweeney. “He even referenced that the Olympics, albeit it’s a dream, he might have been able to use that time a little more effectively in terms of recovery and rest … injuries are not a player’s fault. It’s a matter of what you can do in training to counteract that. And he’s willing to put that work in.”

Some other topics of note:

*Sweeney lauded Mason Lohrei’s improvement this season but believes he can increase the urgency in his defensive game.

“There’s a stubbornness there because he’s able to execute some of the skill plays that I wasn’t and you applaud that,” said Sweeney. “Now can he play with the same conviction that you’d want every one of our players, the way (Jonathan Aspirot) would play, and close? That’s the balancing act. Mason’s got a lot of upside.”

*Though not definitive, it sounds like the B’s will be naming a captain. They had pretty much a two-headed captain this season with David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy with Hampus Lindholm wearing the third A.

“Obviously we’d love to name a captain. But we’ve had some great captains here so one of the things we want to do is make sure we’re picking the right guy. Marco’s going to be a big part of that,” said Neely, adding the group has already had discussions about it.

*With two extra first-round picks over the next three years, Sweeney said he’d willing to make an offer sheet to an RFA but was doubtful that the time was right for it this year with the cap going up to $104 million from $95.5 million, giving teams more flexibility to match.

“(St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong) described it very well. If his mom was running another team, he’d still do it. And I think we all have to look at it that way. We’re friendly but we’re not brotherly in terms of how we operate as general managers,” said Sweeney. “You have to execute when it presents. I just think it will be a little more difficult with the cap going up and the space most teams have.”

*Sweeney was non-committal when the subject of UFAs-to-be Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke came up.

“We’ll explore whether we can bring either or both back,” he said.

*The B’s will be well represented at the World Championships. Hagens, Lohrei and Sean Kuraly will be going for Team USA, Joonas Korpisalo and Henri Jokiharju for Finland and Minten for Canada.

*Sweeney said no Bruin will require offseason surgery.

May weekends are busy ones and the upcoming one is no exception. There are many graduations, outdoor parties, proms, of course Mother’s Day, and that doesn’t include the plethora of regular activities that take place. So let’s get to the weather and see how it’s going to cooperate.

If you’re starting your weekend on Friday, that day looks fantastic with plenty of sunshine and temperatures into the 60s. It might be a bit breezy at times, but generally it’s just a really picture-perfect May Day.

Saturday is an interesting weather day. There’s a very weak weather system that will cross the area, bringing significant cloudiness. This means we will see limited sunshine. It will be in the 60s, so pretty much seasonable.

The question is how much rainfall New England will get, if any. We are in a very dry pattern, and even when I look at the models and see a couple of showers, I’m thinking they’re not going to make it into the eastern parts of Massachusetts.

If you look at the total rainfall over the next 10 days, it’s significantly less in Eastern and Central Southern New England as compared to Western and Northern New England. I think there is a chance of showers on Saturday, but it’s limited, so it will not be a washout, but please be aware that there could be a few.

Sunday is, of course, Mother’s Day. Right now, it looks like we will have clearing skies with a return to sunshine, and it will be fairly mild with temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

It will turn a little bit cooler on Monday and Tuesday of next week. As a side note, if you are buying plants for Mom, be sure that you are watering as you plant them because the soil is drying out quite a bit.

Greater Boston: Clouds and a couple of showers on Saturday, but most of the time it’s dry with highs in the 60s. Sunshine returns for Sunday with highs in the 70s.

Central/Western Mass.: Scattered showers on Saturday with temperatures in the 60s. A blend of clouds and sun on Sunday with highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

Southeastern Mass.: Look for mostly cloudy skies on Saturday and a brief shower with highs in the 60s. Sunshine returns on Sunday with highs in the lower 70s.

Cape Cod and the Islands: Temperatures in the 50s and 60s over the weekend, coolest at the coast. Look for clouds on Saturday, with sunshine and clouds on Sunday.

New Hampshire: Look for cloudy skies with scattered showers on Saturday. Highs in the 50s to the north and 60s to the south. Sunshine on Sunday with highs in the 60s north and 70s to the south.

Rhode Island: Mostly cloudy skies on Saturday with a brief shower and highs in the 60s. Temperatures will be in the 60s over South County on Sunday, but 70s north and west with sunshine.

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Two Boston city councilors slammed the mayor for proposing a $724,000 cut to the veterans budget, saying that the city is breaking a promise to support veterans with services they have earned by risking their lives at war.

Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy sharply criticized the reduction in spending for veterans in the $4.9 billion city budget proposed by Mayor Michelle Wu for next fiscal year, saying the cut is particularly painful, given that the veterans department is so small.

“A 14% cut to the veterans budget is deeply concerning, especially when veterans services is already one of the smallest funded departments in the City of Boston,” Murphy said in a statement to the Herald. “Larger departments may be able to absorb reductions or shift resources, but there is very little room to maneuver in a department this small.

“Any cut can have a direct impact on the services, support, and outreach our veterans rely on,” Murphy added. “As a city, we have a responsibility to keep our promise to those who served our country.”

The veterans services office budget was proposed by Wu at $4.22 million for fiscal year 2027, compared to $4.94 million for this fiscal year, representing a 14.6%, or $723,753 reduction. The city budget is growing overall by 2.1%.

Murphy and Flynn plan to introduce a hearing order and resolution calling for the city to fully fund the veterans department, by restoring the proposed spending cut at Wednesday’s Council meeting. The resolution would likely come up for a vote, unless it is blocked by a councilor and sent to committee for a hearing.

Flynn said the last time there was a proposed cut to the veterans budget in Boston, veterans and military families organized and mobilized to urge Wu to restore the funding to the department.

In 2023, the City Council put forward and approved a series of amendments that would have cut $900,000 for the veterans department, leading to outcry from veterans and an apology from former Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who oversaw that year’s budget process as chair of the Ways and Means committee.

Wu vetoed the Council amendments, saying at the time that plans to cut from the veterans department “would reduce critical programming and limit our ability to fund future obligations.”

Flynn, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, said he was “shocked” that there hasn’t been any “outcry” from other councilors about the mayor’s proposed cut to the veterans budget, when speaking at a Council working session on the city’s budget last Friday.

He said he traveled recently to Washington D.C. to advocate against the Trump administration’s cuts to veterans services, and has to go there every month for the same purpose. He sees city councilors as having a “moral obligation” to advocate for veterans.

“This is my ninth budget that I’ve been involved in, and I have to say it’s one of the most disappointing when I see a cut of 14% to the veterans department,” Flynn said. “These are programs that veterans earn through their blood, sweat and tears, and major injuries. We’re not giving veterans anything. They’ve earned these rights.

“Government is about making this promise to veterans, that when you go to war, and you return from war, that government will be there for you,” Flynn added. “To have veterans programs cut by a large percent is very concerning — it’s unconscionable.”

Mayor Wu’s office defended her decision to make the spending reduction, stating that the Wu administration is not cutting any direct services to veterans and that the cut reflects broader fiscal constraints facing the city amid a budget crunch.

Wu’s office said the veterans department will continue to provide core services to all qualifying veterans and provide financial and medical assistance to qualifying veterans and their dependents with limited incomes for food, shelter, clothing, and medical care, as required by state law.

The reduction in funding is primarily due to the removal of two grant programs, Bridge The Gap and Hometown Heroes, along with reductions to non-personnel expenses, such as city-branded clothing and other promotional items, and event supplies and rentals, the mayor’s office said.