Latest news with #Ekholm
Edmonton Journal
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
We all love top Oilers d-man, but a contract extension for him? Hmm
Article content We all love Mattias Ekholm, veteran defenceman and hockey hero of the Edmonton Oilers, the king of the north, the Viking of the blueline. Article content He's a top Oilers d-man for sure. In fact, at times in the past few seasons he's been Edmonton's best d-man. Article content That said, as a fan of the team before I'm a fan of any one player, I can't say I love the idea of Edmonton extending Ekholm's contract just now. I hadn't been thinking it was a possibility but this week on Oilers Now, Edmonton's top NHL insider Bob Stauffer, the team's master of whisperers, shared this nugget: 'It wouldn't surprise me if the Oilers extended Matthias Ekholm, maybe even this summer.'' Article content Article content When Stauffer mentioned it, the ideas sounded OK enough, mainly because I'm like almost all of the rest of you: I admire Ekholm both as an individual and as a player. Article content Article content Acquiring him from Nashville was one of the two or three best moves former GM Ken Holland made with the Oilers, that and signing Zach Hyman and giving second chances to players like Evander Kane and Corey Perry, even as other NHL teams were too cautious and/or sanctimonious to consider the same. Article content Ekholm has been a stalwart since his arrival in Edmonton, teaming up with Evan Bouchard on the team's top-pairing to help lead the squad to two Stanley Cup Finals. But time and injury aren't the friends of a single NHL player. Time and injury catch up to all of them. We got a taste of that with Ekholm this season. He played as well as ever in the first half of the season, but after a series of core injury issues, his game wasn't the same. Article content Article content After a rough stretch of games where he leaked Grade A shots against, he was out for weeks in the final part of the season. When he came back in the playoffs, he was OK in general, but iffy in key moments, especially against Florida as the series went along. Ekholm wasn't alone in playing marginal hockey as that series unfolded, but he wasn't the exception to the general rule either. Article content When I first heard Stauffer's musing about Ekholm maybe getting a contract extension this summer — he's got one year left on a deal that pays him $6.25 million this year — my first thought was that the Oilers had best wait to see how Ekholm recovers and performs this year before committing to the player. Article content That notion has only been reinforced after looking at how other players aged 36 and up did in the NHL this past season.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ericsson's sales in South East Asia, Oceania & India slump by 28% on-year in Q2FY25
NEW DELHI: Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson on Tuesday reported a 28% year-on-year decline in its sales in the market area South East Asia, Oceania and India at 5.5 billion crowns (~₹4,917 crore) in Q2FY25, mainly dragged by a pause in fifth-generation (5G) network investments by Indian telecom carriers. On a sequential basis, sales in the specific market area slumped by 24% year-on-year. Ericsson had reported sales of 7.7 billion crowns (~₹6,883.8 crore) in the corresponding quarter a year ago in South East Asia, Oceania, and India. 'Sales in India were weak, as operators held back on new network investments,' Ericsson said in its earnings statement. India, however, is second among the top five countries by sales at 6% in the January to June period of 2025, an Ericsson spokesperson told ETTelecom . Sales in the Mobile Networks business declined significantly in South East Asia, Oceania, and India, primarily as a result of 'reduced customer investments in networks in India', the vendor said. As per the statement, Ericsson won a multi-year Network Operations Center Managed Services contract with India's Bharti Airtel . Sales in the Americas market area remained unchanged at 19.8 billion crowns on a reported basis. Markets, including Europe, Middle East and Africa, North East Asia, and others, also fell on a reported basis compared to same quarter in the previous year. 'Our Q2 results demonstrate solid execution of our strategic and operational priorities. We achieved a three-year high in adjusted EBITA margin, supported by continued efficiency actions. We have structurally lowered our cost base and are strongly focused on delivering further efficiencies,' said Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson. 'It is encouraging that Americas' growth continues, and that Europe has stabilised,' he added. 'Looking ahead, we are increasing AI investments, including in our Sweden AI factory consortium. AI is key to accelerating innovation, as well as driving internal operational efficiencies. The ecosystem for network APIs continues to grow, and Aduna expanded its Network API reach to all three major service providers in Japan,' Ekholm said. Nokia is scheduled to report its fiscal second quarter results on July 24. In India, Ericsson, along with its Finnish rival Nokia and South Korean Samsung, has commercial 5G deals with top telecom carriers Reliance Jio , Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi). While Vi switched on its commercial 5G services in March, and is currently focused on expansion in 17 priority circles by August, its peers Jio and Airtel already have a nationwide 5G networks and provide 5G FWA to customers. As per Ericsson, the global fixed wireless access (FWA) customers have surpassed 160 million, and are driving significant network traffic. It, however, cautioned that the penetration of 5G standalone (SA) remains limited but is needed to support use cases such as artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge. Earlier, Ericsson and Nokia saw a surge in India sales from the fourth quarter of 2022 and first quarter of 2023, respectively, shortly after Airtel and Jio began rolling out 5G networks nationally from October 2022. However, both telcos have concluded their 5G network deployments in the first half of 2024 and are now focused on boosting revenues and driving monetisation of their 5G businesses.
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Panthers power play production could be an edge in tight Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers
Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Staying out of the penalty box is a good place to start for all the players involved in the Stanley Cup Final. After talking all week about being more disciplined, the Edmonton Oilers were whistled for high-sticking a couple of times and tripping once in the first 16 minutes of Game 4 on Thursday night. Naturally, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice for Florida Panthers, and then a slashing call put the Oilers on the power play and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' goal sparked their comeback that tied the series. 'It's a good series,' Tkachuk said. 'Special teams, both teams' power play seemed to be clicking.' Florida is clicking at a higher rate at 33%, going 7 of 21 with the man advantage, compared with 20% on 4 of 20 for Edmonton. In a final knotted 2-2 that has often been as tight as it can be with three games already decided in overtime, the Panthers' power play production has the potential to be a difference-maker. Until Tkachuk broke through, it had been the second unit of Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Nate Schmidt doing most of the damage. 'We're building a lot of chemistry playing together,' Verhaeghe said. 'We have so many great players on the unit. Both units have been pretty good. I mean, we just want to move the puck right and get pucks to the net.' The Panthers have five power play goals over the past two games and have scored at least one every night in the final. The Oilers have also cracked Sergei Bobrovsky at least once on the power play each game. Nugent-Hopkins scoring Thursday night could be a sign Connor McDavid and Co. are revving up against what has been a fairly effective Florida penalty kill. Coach Paul Maurice believes that task has gone 'reasonably well.' "I think they're still going to generate some action," Maurice said Friday before flying across North America. "I think the even strength chances are pretty tight through four games.' Ekholm's block Tkachuk almost completed a hat trick in Game 4, and it could have changed the course of the entire series. With the score tied at 3-all late in the second period, he had the puck with a wide-open net to shoot at. Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm got his right skate and leg in front of Tkachuk's shot just in time. 'I didn't even know that the net was empty or anything — I was just in the moment trying to get as big as possible,' Ekholm said. "It ended up hitting me. It was obviously a big block at the time. I haven't thought too much more about it. It was a block, and sometimes you need those.' Better Barkov? Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov picked up his first two points of the series in Game 4 with assists on Tkachuk's power-play goals. He has none at even strength. Some of that could be connected to how much energy Barkov — a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's best defensive forward — is expending trying to keep McDavid's line and also Leon Draisaitl from scoring. He does not want to use that as an excuse. 'It's tough to say,' Barkov said. "You need to know, those two guys, where they are on the ice. Of course you're trying to have your head on a swivel, but I think I could be better, for sure.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Calgary Herald
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton Oilers return to the scene of their greatest heartbreak
SUNRISE, FLA. — Is there a song you can't bear to listen to because it reminds you of someone from your past? Is there a restaurant that reminds you of a happier time with a person who later ripped your heart out and fed it to you? What about that one coach whom you never forgave for cutting you from the team back in junior high? Article content Imagine those scars, amplified. Article content We all watched the videos that came from the visitors' dressing room at Amerant Bank Arena after the Oilers' one-goal loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup final. There were tears. Anger. Promises that they'd be back to challenge for the Cup. It's telling that the videos of the Oilers in pain became the most-remembered images from Game 7, not of the Panthers skating around the ice with the Cup. Connor McDavid deciding to stay in the dressing room rather than skate back onto the ice to receive the Conn Smythe Trophy was a big deal, whether you sympathize with the player or not. Article content Article content Article content Defenceman Mattias Ekholm said it's fitting that the team is back in Florida in June. Article content 'It's obviously for the right reasons,' he said. 'It feels good.' Article content And he said players can't hide from the strong emotions that the Cup brings. 'That's what this is. That's what everybody feels. Everybody cares in there. This is what everybody wants, it's the ultimate.' Article content The Oilers played in Florida in late February, losing 4-3 as part of a four-game swoon that followed the Four Nations. But the trip to South Florida allowed the Oilers to exorcise a lot of the demons. They used that same dressing room. Article content It's no longer time to look back, said Ekholm. Article content 'And I think everybody is so focused, it doesn't matter what room we walk into,' said Ekholm. 'We just focus on the task at hand.' Article content Article content Coach Kris Knoblauch said that even if the Oilers win in 2025, it won't avenge the 2024 loss. While winning the Cup this season is the goal, it doesn't ease the pain of last year. So, you can't apply the famed Klingon proverb 'revenge is a dish best served cold' to this series, because it's not about that. Each year is taken in isolation, just as a successful team knows how to prepare for each game in isolation. As well, these aren't the exact same rosters from last year. Both teams added and subtracted. And, for some of the Oilers who left the team after 2024, they might never get back to the final. Article content Article content 'But I think everyone's focus is on this season. But, no matter what happens, I don't think that changes or helps anything. It's just that we're in a new stage of our season or path, and we're just focused on what we need to do.'
Edmonton Journal
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Oilers return to the scene of their greatest heartbreak
Article content And, now, after splitting the first two games of the 2025 Cup final at Rogers Place, the Oilers are back in Sunrise, Fla. Back in the place where they shed their tears. Is there an emotional hangover? Defenceman Mattias Ekholm said it's fitting that the team is back in Florida in June. 'It's obviously for the right reasons,' he said. 'It feels good.' And he said players can't hide from the strong emotions that the Cup brings. 'That's what this is. That's what everybody feels. Everybody cares in there. This is what everybody wants, it's the ultimate.' The Oilers played in Florida in late February, losing 4-3 as part of a four-game swoon that followed the Four Nations. But the trip to South Florida allowed the Oilers to exorcise a lot of the demons. They used that same dressing room. It's no longer time to look back, said Ekholm. 'And I think everybody is so focused, it doesn't matter what room we walk into,' said Ekholm. 'We just focus on the task at hand.'
