The number of injured players at the Montreal Canadiens training camp is unusually high, says fitness coach Stéphane Dubé.

“I don’t want to throw stones at anyone, but I have to admit it’s hard for me to explain. The Canadians didn’t make the playoffs, so the players were stopped for a while to give them time to rest. It is assumed that the physical preparation is sufficient. Having eight players in the infirmary already, it’s hard for me to explain,” he said on Friday’s La Poche Bleue le midi program on TVA Sports’ airwaves.

“You shouldn’t be screwed up after the first day,” added Dubé. Given the number of months the players have had to prepare, I would have expected the squad to be healthier. That would be normal for the Colorado Avalanche because the guys didn’t have a lot of preparation time in the summer. I experienced it with the Shawinigan Cataractes last year. The Canadians, on the other hand, had plenty of time to prepare. It’s a little more worrying, or they go there very pre-emptively.

In addition, Dubé defended the difficult exercises demanded by head coach Martin St-Louis.

“I agree it’s very quick, but the problem is that they don’t have a choice because exhibition games are about to start. It’s not really a training camp anymore, it’s an evaluation camp. Yes, the camp start is steep, but players should be ready.

Watch the full interview with Stéphane Dubé in the video above.

Also, the progress of New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière and other Quebec players who have impressed him this summer, including Nathan Légaré (Pittsburgh Penguins), Simon Lavigne (Calgary Flames) and Xavier Parent (New Jersey Devils), discussed.