Geertsen may have gotten somewhat lost in the shuffle during a busy summer, but there’s no missing the 6-foot-4, 231-pound behemoth on the ice. He’s been one of the more noticeable players through a week of training camp – in part due to his size, yes, but also because of his performance in Monday’s preseason opener at Columbus. In that 4-0 win, the line of Geertsen, Joshua Dunne and Tyson Kozak was active in all three zones and provided the screen on Bowen Byram’s score-opening tally.
“It’s not about hitting, not about fighting,” Ruff said, although Dunne did energize Buffalo’s bench by dropping the gloves. “It’s about, this is my 1-on-1 battle, I’m going to win it. You saw some wall battles with Geertsen that led to scoring chances.”
Geertsen chuckled when told that Ruff called him an “enforcer,” but the numbers support that label. During those 25 games with New Jersey, he spent 173 minutes on the ice and 77 in the penalty box. He was the first NHL player to skate so few minutes, yet log that many penalty minutes, since 2013-14. Nobody’s achieved that combination since, and Geertsen’s also exceeded 100 penalty minutes in five of his seven AHL seasons.
“I’m just a guy trying to do what he can to stay in the lineup and trying to contribute to the team,” said Geertsen, who transitioned from defenseman to winger during COVID-19 with that physicality in mind.
“He’s an enforcer, but he’s a well-conditioned athlete, too,” Ruff said. “… When I talked to him this summer, I just said, ‘I need you to get in incredibly good shape if we’re going to use you, where you can skate, you can play.’ He said, ‘I promise you I’ll be in the best possible shape I can get into.’ And he has.”
Indeed, Geertsen shared how he “cranked up” his offseason training with heavier weights, more skating and an increased emphasis on cardio and conditioning. His Devils experience taught him not to take these opportunities for granted, and while he loves coming to the rink at any level, he’s hungry to reclaim an NHL role.
“I’ve known [Lindy] for a while; we’re from the same area” said Geertsen, a native of Drayton Valley, Alberta. “I’m grateful for the opportunity he’s giving me right now, so I’m gonna try and prove to everybody I can do it.”
“I had Mason in New Jersey, so I know what Mason’s about, I know how hard he works, I know how good a guy he is,” Ruff said. “Just (needs to) continue to put the work in.”
The Sabres are intent on becoming harder to play against, and the Geertsen signing fits that mold. If he continues to display NHL-caliber skating during the preseason – he’s in Tuesday’s lineup versus Columbus – Geertsen could earn himself a spot on the opening-night roster.
