"It's a job that suits me well," Laperriere said in a statement. "It's one of those jobs that you need a relationship with the young guys and you need to have some experience, and I think I have both. I've always been able to relate well with anybody, from 18-year-old kids to 40-year-old veterans. It's always been one of my strengths, so I'm going to use that with these young guys."
The addition of Murray behind the bench in the AHL provides experience for the Flyers' affiliate.
Murray, who led the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, has coached more than 1,000 games in the NHL. His teams have qualified for the playoffs in 10 of his 15 seasons as an NHL head coach.
Murray, 61, was fired as the coach of the Flyers after the 1997 loss in the Finals, though he stayed on as a scout the following season. He helped form the Legion of Doom line for the Flyers, with Eric Lindros centering John LeClair and Mikael Renberg.
He was fired as Los Angeles Kings coach in December after a 13-12 start. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup.
"I really appreciate the opportunity to come back to the Flyers organization, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge that's out there of coaching the Phantoms," Murray said. "The youth playing down in the American Hockey League is a real important part of the organization."
Contact Chad Graff at cgraff@philly.com or 215-854-4550. Follow him on Twitter @ChadGraff.
