The Islanders have named Barry Trotz their head coach, the team announced on Thursday.

"Barry brings to the New York Islanders franchise a tremendous amount of knowledge, experience and success," Islanders President and GM Lou Lamoriello said in a statement. "He is and has been one of the top coaches in the National Hockey League. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with him."

Trotz resigned from the Capitals on Monday, and the Islanders had been in contact, with Islanders president and GM Lou Lamoriello eager to fill their vacant head coach position in the near-term.

"If you know anything about Lou Lamoriello and his background and what he does, he'll do what it takes to win," Trotz said on a conference call Thursday. "That got me excited right away."

The Capitals tried to work out a new extension with Trotz, whose automatic two-year extension for winning the Cup was below market value, explained Elliotte Friedman of TSN. Trotz's extension would have been worth $1.8 million per season, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN.

"When you step down, you take some chances. I was pleasantly surprised that I got a call almost immediately," Trotz said. "I said 'I'm in, I want to listen.' I talked to Mr. Lamoriello, we had a fantastic conversation. He told me his plan, his vision for the team and changing the culture. I love that, that's what they hired me to do, to come from the Capitals to change the culture."

The 55-year-old Trotz had been the head coach of the Capitals since the 2014-15 season, leading them to the playoffs each season.

Prior to joining the Capitals, Trotz was head coach of the Predators from 1998 to 2014, with the team reaching the playoffs seven times during that span.

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