Montreal Canadiens: Former NHL general manager Pierre Gauthier joined the team as director of pro scouting Monday.

He replaces Pierre Mondou, who retired after last season.

Gauthier has worked in the NHL for 22 years as a scout, general manager and team president. He was GM of the Ottawa Senators from 1995-98, and president and GM of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks from 1998-2002.

Gauthier was one of three GMs for Canada's hockey team at the 1998 Olympics.

New York Rangers: Tom Renney will be an assistant coach in addition to vice president of player development for the Rangers, who have shuffled several front-office jobs.

The Rangers missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season despite an NHL-high payroll of more than $70 million.

Renney was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in 1996-97. His move with the Rangers means player personnel director Don Maloney will have responsibility for all scouting operations.

Jim Schoenfeld, an assistant coach last season, was made general manager of the Rangers' top minor-league affiliate, the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Rangers made Dave Brown their head pro scout.

Phoenix Coyotes: Defenseman Nikos Tselios, a former first-round draft pick, signed a multiyear contract with the team on Monday.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound free agent has played two games in the NHL, both during the 2001-02 season with Carolina, which chose him 22nd overall in the 1997 entry draft.

Tselios, 24, a cousin of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios, played in 74 American Hockey League games last season, splitting time between Lowell and Springfield. He had four goals, 10 assists and 77 penalty minutes.

Tselios was with Lowell for 70 games in 2001-02.

Earlier, he spent two seasons with Cincinnati of the International Hockey League after a four-year junior career in the Ontario Hockey League. His best offensive season came in 1998-99, when he had 21 goals and 39 assists in 60 games with Belleville of the OHL.

Washington Capitals: The Capitals re-signed center Trent Whitfield to a one-year contract on Monday.

Whitfield appeared in 14 games for the Capitals last season during two call-ups from minor league affiliate Portland.

In parts of five NHL seasons with the Capitals and New York Rangers, Whitfield has played in 100 games with three goals and six assists.