For Scripps Sports broadcaster Jessica Blaylock, the Florida Panthers' 2025-26 season was defined by one word: bittersweet.
Blaylock joined Inside South Florida's Panthers end-of-season special to reflect on what the team's injury-riddled campaign revealed about the organization's culture, and why she believes the best is still ahead for the franchise. Blaylock said the adversity the Panthers faced this season only brought the team closer together. "Adversity can make or break a team. And in the case of the Florida Panthers, this team got even closer. Just the amount of respect that they have for one another, the amount of respect that they have for the culture that's been built. It doesn't matter what type of adversity this team goes through; it's not going to break them apart. It's going to bring them even that much closer together and make them even that much better in the long run," Blaylock said.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, Blaylock said a fully healthy and rested Panthers roster is a frightening prospect for the rest of the NHL. "Number one, a healthy, full roster, fully rested, that's a scary, scary team heading into next season. The word I keep coming back to is bittersweet. Bitter in the sense that it always hurts when you miss the playoffs, but sweet in the sense that these guys are going to benefit so much from the rest and the recovery," Blaylock said.
Blaylock pointed to the cumulative toll of three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances, back-to-back Cup championships and the highest number of players represented at the NHL Four Nations Face-Off as factors that made a full offseason reset not just welcome, but necessary. "You eventually pay a toll for that. So the Panthers getting a full off season to just really recover, really rest, come in next year healthy, putting the league on notice. Watch out. Because that is a super scary thing to think about going into next year. The Panthers out full force," Blaylock said.
Beyond the on-ice outlook, Blaylock said the growth of hockey across South Florida is one of the most exciting developments surrounding the franchise. The Florida Panthers recently announced a women's tier two travel club, a move Blaylock said reflects the organization's commitment to making the game accessible to everyone. "The interest in hockey and making it accessible to everyone, people of all ages, people of all skill sets, people of all genders, whether you have an interest in playing as a professional or whether you just have an interest in learning how to play, everything that the Panthers do to fully support that, and especially now that there is an opportunity for girls and for women, I think it's so exciting," Blaylock said.
Blaylock said the Panthers' on-ice success has been the engine driving that growth throughout the state. "I just can't say enough about the growth of the game in the state and how big a role the Panthers play in that," Blaylock said.
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