Following a season in which they went from Stanley Cup contenders to missing the playoffs altogether, the Tampa Bay Lightning and general manager Steve Yzerman approached the summer with a long to-do list.

But now, after recently inking winger Ondrej Palat to a five-year, $26.5-million contract, that list is essentially complete. Fresh off gaining some long-term security, the 26-year-old forward believes he and his teammates are ready to contend again.

"It was an experience for us last year because we came from two good (playoff) runs and we thought we were going to make the playoffs just like that, and it didn't happen," Palat told Roger Mooney of The Tampa Bay Times. "In the NHL we have to play good from the beginning of the season, and we have to be good all season long."

Last season, Tampa Bay's blistering start was abruptly guided off course in November when captain Steven Stamkos went down with a knee injury, and unable to overcome several ailments to other key players, the Lightning missed the playoffs by a single point.

In light of this, Yzerman made a series of moves this offseason. He dealt electric winger Jonathan Drouin to Montreal for Mikhail Sergachev, and brought in veterans Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi via free agency, decisions which were followed up by extensions for Palat and linemate Tyler Johnson.

All in all, Palat believes the new-look Lightning roster will compete.

"I feel pretty good about the team," Palat said. "I like all the new guys. They're in the league for a while. Great veteran guys, experienced guys. That's what you need to have on your team if you want to win a Cup."

Palat's been a key piece in Tampa's recent postseason success, contributing 29 points in 46 playoff games during two lengthy runs that saw the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, followed by an elimination in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final a year later.

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