The Pens had a surprising playoff run under Herb Brooks last year and much of that team returns. Whether G Jean-Sebastien Aubin can be a full-time No. 1 goalie seems to be the other huge question surrounding Pittsburgh on the eve of the season-opener.

What has to happen

Jaromir Jagr has to stay healthy. The Pens are clearly a different team when No. 68 is out of the lineup. Jagr sat for 19 games last season with a variety of injuries, mostly with leg problems in the second half of the season. He won his fourth NHL scoring title and is only 28, so he has plenty of good years ahead of him. But, if Jagr runs into an injury bug again this season, it could be costly for the Pens, who rely so heavily on the league's best player.

G Jean-Sebastien Aubin must play as he did a year ago when he won 23 games and posted a 2.58 goals against. He won't have Tom Barasso around anymore -- that's actually a good thing -- or Ron Tugnutt to fall back on any more if he finds himself in a slump.

He's the main man. Missing most of training camp in a contract dispute won't help him any either. Now, he has to show that he's ready to assume the mantle of undisputed top goalie on an NHL team.

The Pens have to get better on the power play. With Jagr and all the other offensive talent Pittsburgh has, one would figure that the Pens have one of the best power plays in the league.

Nope.

They were 20th last year.

Hlinka's task will be to find someone who can man the point on the power play and set up Jagr and co. If not, this bunch will have the same problems it did a year ago under Herb Brooks.

What can't happen

Alexei Kovalev can't continue to be the league's greatest enigma. Sure, he scored a career-best 26 goals last year. But it took him eight years in the league to hit that high-water mark. He has more talent than that. He so frustrated the Rangers with his inability to produce consistently that he was traded to the Pens. Kovalev isn't in danger of losing his spot with Pittsburgh but he can't continue to be a mystery. The team can't afford to have him go AWOL for huge chunks of the season again.

The Penguins can't put too much pressure on prized prospect Milan Kraft. Though he was chosen as the top forward at last year's World Junior Championships, GM Craig Patrick and Hlinka can't give into temptation and make this kid the focal point of the offense right away. He clearly has potential as his numbers (34 goals, 69 points in 56 games with Prince Albert of the WHL last year) suggest. But, to expect too much of him too soon would be doing a disservice to him and the team.

The Penguins can't have a bad start to the season, not with seven of the first 10 games at home. And, of the three road games, two -- at the Rangers and Nashville -- are winnable. Pittsburgh can jump out to fast start in the Eastern Conference before it goes on a West Coast swing to begin November. With a fairly easy home schedule in October, a poor start could be disastrous for new head coach Ivan Hlinka.

The mental approach

This is a big question mark for the Pens. How well they adjust to Hlinka's style of coaching and the methods he brings from Europe will go a long way in determining this team's success. Hlinka is surely a good coach. He proved that by leading the Czech Republic to a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics by building that country's team into a world power.

It remains to be seen if that will be translated into success in Pittsburgh, both literally and figuratively. Hlinka's command of the English language isn't great, so it will take some extra work on the part of the Penguins to be patient. Hlinka, meanwhile, will have to work that much harder to get through to most of his players.

And, because his team is so Czech-laden, Hlinka must be careful not to alienate the North American players. It's an interesting situation that will require a great deal of mental juggling at the outset of the season. But, if everyone can be on the same page by the holidays, Hlinka could have a successful freshman year as coach.

Noteworthy

Aubin finally agreed to terms and signed a one-year worth an estimated $700,000. He had been working out with the Sherbrooke Castors of the QMJHL, but whether he's in game shape remains to be seen. ... In a bit of a surprising move, Billy Tibbetts made the final cut and will be on the roster when the season opens. He will be under scrutiny for much of the season because of his criminal record on a rape conviction in Massachusetts. Pennsylvania law requires Tibbetts to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years if he works in the state. ... The Pens resigned LW Kip Miller, pushing their roster to 25 players. They will trim that number down to 24 for the season-opening trip to Japan and will cut it again to 23 when they return to the States.