Ex-NHLer Sean Avery takes scathing dig at 'b*tch' Mitch Marner & Paul Bissonnette following Leafs' playoff elimination- "What were you smoking?"

It's been almost two weeks since Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs were embarrassed by the Florida Panthers in a Game 7 on home ice.

Understandably, the Maple Leafs were torn apart for their inexplicably poor performances at home in Games 5 and 7. It was yet another playoff failure for the Core Four and likely signaled the end of an era in Toronto.

As a pending unrestricted free agent, all signs point to Marner walking out the door this offseason, while John Tavares’ contract is also expiring. There is a clear opportunity for the organization to shake things up, and former NHLer Sean Avery thinks it’s crazy to even consider bringing Marner back.

Avery ripped into Paul Bissonnette and Mitch Marner during the Spittin’ Chiclets live stream Thursday night, during Game 5 between the Oilers and Stars. Spittin’ Chiclets shared his rant on X (formerly Twitter).

"Okay, just quickly. I'll be quick. Biz, what were you smoking? What crypto were you smoking that you thought that the Toronto Maple Leafs had any f***ing hope in hell of beating the Florida Panthers? I mean, it's like almost, I know you tried to, you know you tried to, will it to happen, but they are so far away. I mean, it's f***ing ridiculous," Avery said.

"And anyone in Toronto that's a Leafs fan that drinks this Kool-Aid, and they do it every year, and they're already getting ready for next year and talking about Mitch the b**ch. Signing Mitch the b**ch. What are you, f***ing cucks? What is wrong with you? It's time to move on," Avery added.

Mitch Marner is set to become a free agent on July 1 after playing out the final season of his six-year, $65,408,000 contract extension signed with the Maple Leafs in 2019.

FanDuel has released the latest odds on Mitch Marner's next team

We are just over a month away from free agency, which means speculation about Marner’s future is in full swing.

The 28-year-old and his camp have made it clear he will test the market, and on Friday, FanDuel updated its odds for where Marner will sign. TSN shared the odds in a post on X.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, who are listed with the shortest odds, both have plenty of cap space to tempt Marner. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs come in third, though it has become hard to imagine a scenario where a return happens.