Like several other pending unrestricted free agents around the NHL, San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm figures he’ll be moved to another team before the NHL trade deadline in March if he doesn’t receive a contract extension offer.

This season has been a period of rebuilding, growth and developing the team’s skills. The San Jose Sharks have struggled to find themselves out of the bottom of the league. Each game, win or lose, is never the same in the end.

The only thing consistent about the San Jose Sharks in 2025 is their inconsistency. On New Year’s Eve, the San Jose Sharks offered “no desperation” in a 4-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, their eighth-straight loss.

They didn’t get to six goals, but the Blue Jackets did move into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference over the Boston Bruins by extending their season-high winning streak to six straight games Thursday at Nationwide Arena.

James van Riemsdyk scored twice and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 to extend their win streak to six games — their longest since January 2020

Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Tonight, the San Jose Sharks take on one of the surprise teams in the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Today, like every day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each one,

A strong first two periods helped the Blue Jackets survive a third-period push from the Sharks before van Riemsdyk found the empty net.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the San Jose Sharks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets NHL game to be played on January 16, 2025 on ESPN.

Watch the Game Highlights from Columbus Blue Jackets vs. San Jose Sharks, 01/16/2025