2000-01 by the numbers
	Record: 42-28-9-3, 96 points (T9th overall, T5th East, 3rd Atlantic) Man-games lost to injury: 264 (10th) Goals for: 281/3.43 (2nd) Goals against: 256/3.12 (26th) Differential: 25 (T9th overall) 20-goal scorers: Jaromir Jagr (52), Alexei Kovalev (44), Mario Lemieux (35), Robert Lang (32), Martin Straka (27) 50-point scorers: Jagr (121), Kovalev (95), Straka (95), Lang (80), Lemieux (76)

It's difficult to say that a team with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr overachieved, but it's close to the truth. The Penguins were within three victories of the Stanley Cup finals, bowing out to New Jersey in five games. The reason the underdog label suits Pittsburgh stems from a lack of depth up front and on defense -- as well as an ever-changing goaltending situation. Johan Hedberg came from nowhere -- Manitoba and the IHL, actually -- to claim the No. 1 goalie job from Jean-Sebastien Aubin and oft-injured Garth Snow. Hedberg held it together extremely well in the playoffs, posting a laudable 2.30 GAA and .911 save percentage.

On defense, the emergence of Andrew Ference (3-7-10 in the postseason) and the grit of Darius Kasparaitis -- he played with a broken bone in his foot -- couldn't offset a weak group. Lemieux's childhood friend, Marc Bergevin, struggled so much late in the playoffs that he was a healthy scratch from a few games. Up front, Lemieux came out of retirement and scored 35 goals in 43 games, while Jagr won the scoring title with 52 goals and 121 points.

But in the postseason, when Lemieux and Jagr didn't produce -- which was often for Jagr (two goals in 16 games) -- the Penguins relied on Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka, who only combined for five points against the Devils in the conference finals. In the end, considering the franchise's budgetary constraints and uncertainty in goal, the mere fact that the Penguins made the NHL's final four and turned a profit is rather impressive.

Looking at next season
If there is any team in the 30-team NHL with more question marks than the Penguins, that team could be in real trouble -- because at least the Pens have Lemieux. But that's exactly where the questions begin. With Jagr shipped to Washington, Lemieux assumes the responsibility of leading the team just 61 games into his comeback from a three-plus season layoff. Any injury or ineffectiveness from Lemieux could cripple the Penguins.

Beyond Lemieux, it's unclear how many players will be in training camp. Between now and September, GM Craig Patrick must sign a bevy of players, including Kovalev, Straka, Jan Hrdina, Robert Lang, Ian Moran, Wayne Primeau and Kasparaitis. The Penguins have about $15 million more to spend with the $4.9 million the Caps gave Pittsburgh in the Jagr trade, added to $10-plus million they'll save in not having to pay his salary. Even with that money, it will be tight. Moving Jagr this early helps Patrick quite a bit, so look for the Penguins to begin signing players soon.

Assuming everyone signs in time for training camp and no more trades or signings are involved, the Penguins roster possesses the same weaknesses as last season. However, if Hedberg proves more than a one-hit wonder, goaltending will be vastly improved if only because there will be an identifiable starting goalie.

Defense remains a problem, but Ference should continue to improve, while Pittsburgh might try and pry 2000 top pick Brooks Orpik (6-foot-2, 220 pounds with a mean streak) from his senior season at Boston College. Newly acquired Ross Lupaschuk could be in the mix as well, but there's no way to project if either 20-year-old will be developed enough to help out right away.

In terms of depth, the Penguins lost two defensemen this offseason: Bob Boughner signed with Calgary, while Frantisek Kucera joined Jagr in Washington. Free agent acquisition Mike Wilson (6-foot-6, 212 pounds) might help, but his presence won't necessarily offset Boughner, who is much smaller but brought a lot of toughness (147 PIMs) to Pittsburgh's blue line. This makes the re-signing of Kasparaitis -- and even Moran -- much more important. Even though they are undersized and Moran struggled at times in the playoffs, both are capable veterans needed to help out Janne Laukkanen and Hans Jonsson, who also is a restricted free agent.

Even without Jagr, a lot of offensive talent remains on the roster, and the Penguins won't be pushovers by any stretch, especially if Lemieux builds upon the combined 93 points he amassed in the regular season and playoffs. Reaching the conference finals might be a stretch, especially considering New Jersey's talent level and Philadelphia's improvement. And let's not forget Jagr, who now skates for a team with a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie (Olaf Kolzig) and a 45-goal scorer in Peter Bondra.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com and can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.