from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

The tumble down the Eastern Conference standings started Feb. 4, when the Bruins lost to the Rangers, 3-2. It was the first of six losses this month.

But their downturn is a collision of several factors:

■ The salary cap for 2015-16 is unclear, mostly because of the Canadian exchange rate. This is making general managers, including Peter Chiarelli, wary of acquiring players with term remaining beyond this season.

■ The Bruins are tight against this year’s cap. They are carrying an overage penalty of approximately $4.75 million, mostly because of bonuses accrued last year by Jarome Iginla. That’s the average annual value of a good defenseman or right wing, both of which the Bruins desperately need.

■ The Bruins have lost confidence in Niklas Svedberg. The backup goalie has been pulled in two of his last three starts. They’ve had to ride Tuukka Rask for 15 straight games and 24 of the last 25. No goalie can sustain that workload.

■ The Bruins drafted poorly during Chiarelli’s first years. Their only remaining NHL asset from 2007-09 is Jordan Caron, a regular healthy scratch. Those misses have led to a thin prospect pool.

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