For the first time since his rookie season Alexander Ovechkin will observe the Stanley Cup Playoffs from afar. The failure of the Washington Capitals to qualify for the postseason tournament has started a flurry of rumors around the nation’s capital about what went wrong, and how the Capitals can return to prominence.

Everyone knows that the captain is the engine that makes things go for the Capitals, so hopefully he doesn’t go on a disco dancing, Turkish yacht bender to drown his sorrows. Assuming that Ovechkin will welcome some change for his club, I’ll throw my name into the hat of experts with a plan to fix what ails the Washington Capitals.

Replace Adam Oates with a Veteran Coach That Can Coach Ovechkin-Sure it starts and ends with Ovechkin, but the coach needs to run the team, something that Adam Oates couldn’t do down the stretch. Peter Laviolette, Barry Trotz and possibly John Tortorella or Ken Hitchcock could be available. There are several other options for strong-willed leaders that can get more out of the Russian superstar. It’s time to hold the team’s best player to task and owner Ted Leonsis needs a coach with the testicular fortitude to do just that.

Accountability-The leading goal scorer in the NHL was also ranked 884 out of 886 eligible NHL players in the 2013-14 season. With such an absurd indifference to the concept of playing defense, the leader needs to be held to task by someone. When Oates attempted to point the finger in Ovechkin’s direction, the equivalent of a face palm from the mercurial winger splattered itself across the press back to the coach. Owner Leonsis does Ovechkin no favors by remaining silent while his star with the golden stick shoots his mouth off. Speak up Ted, back your coach. After all, you write the checks.

Aggressive free agency-The Capitals are projected to have just over $14 million in salary cap space to collect some help for Ovechkin. He may be one of the laziest stars in the league, but he’s still the cornerstone of the franchise. There is a nice core in Washington with Ovie, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Evgeny Kuznetzov. Re-signing Jaroslav Halak should be a priority, which would leave about $8 million. Amnesty the forever injured Brooks Laich to free up another $4.5 million. Don’t over spend, and don’t sign anyone over 30. The Capitals have some outstanding young talent, and already have enough veterans under contract.

Make the tough decisions-I’m not saying to trade Ovechkin, but the guy is 28 –years old. He’s coming off a season that showed his greatness (51 goals in 78 games) and his weakness (-35 in 78 games). If he is unwilling to buy into a system that places a premium on playing at both ends of the ice then it might be time to play the “What if I told you” game for GM George McPhee (affectionately known in the D.C. area as GMGM). Decisions need to be made about Braden Holtby and his future with the club. Is Mike Green worth $6 million per year? $6.7 million per for Backstrom? $9.5 for Ovie?

The Washington Capitals are hardly in a situation where they need to rebuild the franchise. However, they do need to take a long hard look at the pieces they have laid down as the foundation for the club over the next ten years. Two stars are currently inked to lifetime-type contracts (Ovechkin and Backstrom) and McPhee needs to determine whether or not he can keep putting his faith, and ultimately his job with Washington, on the line with those two players.

Clearly the biggest change needs to happen behind the bench. It’s never a great thing to replace the coach, but it is obvious that the soft-spoken Oates will be second fiddle behind his star player in Washington.