He began the season in a slump, with only two goals and four points through his first 19 games, as well as a −10 rating, and Arniel frequently relegated Brassard to a healthy scratch by early December. On December 7, 2011, after Brassard's seventh healthy scratch of the season, his agent Allan Walsh wrote on Twitter accused Arniel of "singl[ing] out" Brasard "to be the fall guy in case things don't go well", describing the coach as having "a history of burying players and using them as scapegoats to mask his own lack of success on the ice".
He started poorly, scoring only two goals and four points in his first 19 games, while also having a -10 rating, and Arniel frequently benched Brassard by early December. On December 7, 2011, after Brassard's seventh healthy scratch of the season, his agent Allan Walsh accused Arniel of "singling out" Brassard "to be the fall guy in case things don't go well", describing the coach as having "a history of burying players and using them as scapegoats to mask his own lack of success on the ice".