ARLINGTON, Va. — When Barry Trotz resigned, the Washington Capitals didn’t even bother with a coaching search.

There was only one candidate and he got the job.

Top assistant Todd Reirden will take over the Stanley Cup-champion Capitals, promoted from the bench on Friday in a move that allows Washington to maintain a sense of continuity. Reirden coached the defensemen the past four seasons, was a finalist for another NHL head job two years ago, earned a promotion to associate coach and played a substantial role in the first championship in franchise history.

“We feel that the time is right for Todd to lead our hockey club,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “Based on his coaching experience, communication abilities, his approach to the game and the respect he commands in our locker room, we feel that Todd has earned this opportunity.”

MacLellan hopes promoting Reirden from within will allow the team to “transition seamlessly into next season and beyond.”

Given his four-year tenure on Trotz’s staff and the league-wide view of him as a rising star in coaching, Reirden was the only one interviewed for this job.

The 47-year-old former defenseman coached the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for parts of two seasons before serving as an NHL assistant with Pittsburgh for four years.