FanHouse Robyn Regehr

The naming of Brent Sutter as head coach of the Calgary Flames was not a surprise. The June 23 announcement made headlines, but was also a poorly-kept secret in most hockey circles.

From the moment he resigned in New Jersey, Sutter was expected to join brother Darryl, the Flames' general manager, in coach-less Calgary. Once Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello gave permission for Brent to make that move, it was quickly announced. After about a month on the job, Sutter took some time to talk to FanHouse about his move back to western Canada.

The Florida Panthers took quite a gamble at the NHL's trade deadline by holding onto soon-to-be free agent defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. In the end, the Panthers not only missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, but now they've also lost their one-time franchise defenseman, as the team traded his rights to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a third-round pick.

Leopold, like Bouwmeester, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, assuming deals can't be reached before then.

If the Calgary Flames are to beat the Detroit Red Wings, they will need to utilize their physical advantage a lot more than they have been this series, while staying out of the penalty box at the same time.

Help may be on the way if Jeff Friesen is able to return for Game Three of the series:

"I'm just looking forward to getting back in. It's a fun time of year," the veteran said after a long, hard skate in yesterday's session. Friesen, a Stanley Cup champion with New Jersey in 2003, had a disappointing regular season with six goals and six assists but down the stretch became a key factor on a line with Stephane Yelle and Marcus Nilson.

Having watched his team shellacked 4-1 in by the Wings in the opener of the best-of-seven opening-round playoff series, Friesen is champing at the bit.

"Obviously, we didn't play the way we need to win. You want to add whatever you can," he said.

While Friesen has been pretty much garbage offensively, he has speed and can play a physical game, something the Flames need both of.

Unfortunately, the player they need to return the most, Robyn Regehr, is unlikely to play in Game Three as he's still nursing his knee injury after re-injuring it during Game Two.

"He didn't rush back too soon," said head coach Jim Playfair.

"He was medically cleared. We'll get an evaluation on him (this) morning back in Calgary and we'll have a better, clearer understanding of where he's at."

Medically cleared, as in 'the leg is still attached to his body'?

Regehr, one of the league's more underrated defensemen, is the Flames top penalty-killing defensemen, logging an average of 4:13 of PK time per game during the regular season. With the Flames spending so much time in the sin bin, the Flames have been at an obvious disadvantage with Regehr out of the lineup.

The likes of David Hale just don't bring nearly as much to the table, nor can the other Calgary defensemen, save for Rhett Warrener, provide the same defensive presence as Regehr does on a nightly basis.