Washington Capitals: 10 Reasons Bruce Boudreau Will Exit Before Alex Ovechkin

Bruce Boudreau and Alexander Ovechkin are at an impasse right now in the Washington Capitals dressing room.

Boudreau thinks the NHL's most colorful superstar has much more to give. Ovechkin was frustrated his coach didn't put him on the ice following a timeout with the Caps down a goal on November 1st.

While you certainly don't want Ovechkin upset with the coaching staff, Boudreau did make the right call.

But the one-time Jack Adams Trophy winner hasn't been able to take his team to the next level. 

If it were between Boudreau and Ovechkin, Boudreau would be gone long before Ovechkin would be. 

No Postseason Success

After making the playoffs for four straight seasons, which includes four straight division titles and a Presidents' Trophy, Boudreau has yet to guide the Capitals to the promised land come playoff time since.

In those four seasons under Boudreau, the Caps were bounced twice in the first round and hadn't even made it to the Eastern Conference finals.

Nobody expects it to be done the first time, but after four straight dominant regular seasons, you would think this team could advance to the Stanley Cup Finals at least once under Boudreau.

NHL Icon vs. Head Coach

Let's face it: On the surface, Bruce Boudreau being fired is much easier to imagine than Alexander Ovechkin being traded. An Ovechkin trade would be comparable to Wayne Gretzky being traded to the Los Angeles Kings from the Edmonton Oilers.

A change at the helm could benefit the high-powered Caps, too. Ovechkin is locked up long term and has proven he can put the puck in the net consistently. Boudreau, however, has yet to show he can coach his team to any real success.

Opportunity Only Knocks So Many Times

Unless you're the Detroit Red Wings, you won't make the playoffs for more than a decade straight.

Younger players will progress to become bigger parts of the team, demanding more money in the process. Current players will age and become harder to retain.

Alex Semin is a prime example of that. This year could be his last as a Capital. There's no doubt he will seek top dollar this summer, and the Capitals will likely be unable to afford his services.

The core of the team is going to break up. Unless players like Mathieu Perreault or Marcus Johansson step up to fill Semin's scoring shoes, this year may be their best crack at a Stanley Cup.

Ovechkin Is the Landmark in D.C.

Naming Ovechkin captain of the Washington Capitals was arguably one of the most debated moves of Boudreau's time in D.C. 

The stereotypical problem is that Russian players are typically one-dimensional and selfish. I wouldn't file Ovechkin under that, necessarily. There are other players, such as Mike Knuble, that have a sense of what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, and they have battled their entire careers to get there. There's no doubt he's a leader in the locker room, but Ovechkin still wears the "C."

With Ovechkin as a proven, dynamically talented captain, it's essentially his team now—that means with or without Boudreau. There's an unbelievably minuscule chance that Ovechkin is traded by Caps GM George McPhee, while the chances of Boudreau being shown the door are much more likely. 

No Excuses This Year

The biggest gripe with the Capitals' postseason woes may be the lack of a solidified No. 1 goaltender. 

However, this past summer, McPhee went out and signed established veteran Tomas Vokoun to a cheap, one-year deal. 

With Vokoun between the pipes, the Caps have their man, along with all the right tools in front of him to bring a Cup to D.C.

Poor Adaptability

Boudreau upgraded the Capitals defense extraordinarily over the course of a year. In 2009-10, the Caps finished 16th in goals against and improved to fourth last season. That's a fantastic improvement, but then the offense became an issue.

As most recently seen in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Capitals struggle to adapt in the postseason. 

Lightning head coach Guy Boucher implemented his trap-style defense, which Boudreau just had no answers for. The Capitals offense struggled immensely, and Tampa went on to upset the Caps in four games. 

Stars Haven't Aligned

Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Ovechkin—for whatever reason, it seems these premier talents are not on the same page often enough. 

Perhaps it's just bad luck and timing, but if the coach can't get them all on the same page, it doesn't add up to good things, especially in the playoffs when this drought seems to strike yearly.

With Semin set to hit the free-agency market, this may be Boudreau's last crack at a run with this current core intact.

He's Had His Chance

Through four record-breaking seasons in Washington, Boudreau has nothing to show for it. 

He's been given ample opportunity to get things done by McPhee, but how long is he willing to wait?

McPhee is watching his team age and—with Semin possibly leaving next year—potentially losing key pieces. Boudreau hasn't been the man thus far. It's time to give somebody else a chance to bring this franchise its first Stanley Cup. 

Fire the Coach, Not the Players

When a team isn't playing well, it's usually quite visible on the ice. The team perhaps isn't clicking together, injuries may have set in (as seen with the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets) or the players themselves just aren't living up to expectations.

Regardless, unless you want to dramatically shake things up during the season like no GM has done before, you place the blame on the coach.

Boudreau is going to be the man that takes the fall for the Caps' lack of success first. McPhee isn't going to start trading away his stars to try and send a message; that's simply just unrealistic.

That's how the game goes, though. It's a business, and the coaches are often charged with the blame for poor results—something Boudreau would have to deal with should McPhee give him the boot. 

Ovechkin Has Proven Himself

Ovechkin has done everything expected of him in Washington D.C. In fact, he's skyrocketed past expectations when he broke into the league in 2005. 

Since then, he has compiled 627 points in 487 career regular-season games. But unlike Boudreau's success, Ovechkin has shown up in the playoffs, too, posting 50 points in 37 career postseason contests.

Last season, Boudreau harped on Ovechkin playing a more complete, two-way game. In doing so, Ovechkin saw his production drop off dramatically, tallying only 85 points in 79 games. That would be considered stellar for most other players, but not for a player of his caliber. 

He's done everything asked of him, but can the same be said for the Caps bench boss?