Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis wiped the slate clean in Washington after the Capitals went 38-30-14 and missed the playoffs, as head coach Adam Oates was relieved of his duties and GM George McPhee will not have his contract renewed.

Oates had a 65-48-17 record in two seasons behind the bench in Washington and won the Southeast Division in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, but lost to the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs last season and missed the playoffs in spite of having the league's leading goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin.

Contrary to reports that Ovechkin and Oates were at odds, Sportsnet's John Shannon indicates that the Rocket Richard Trophy winner was not happy upon learning the news that Oates was let go.

The non-renewal of McPhee's contract ends his 17 year tenure with the Caps, but the veteran GM may not be out of a job for long, as his name has been mentioned in connection to the vacant GM positions in Vancouver and in Calgary under old boss Brian Burke.

more to come


Take a look at Friday's Hockeybuzzcast as we discuss the rumors swirling around the hockey world:

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