MID-TERMS

It was a month before the season began when the Toronto Maple Leafs' then-general manager invited the city's hockey reporters to Air Canada Centre for an informal state-of-the-union address.

In an attempt to temper expectations, Cliff Fletcher stated the obvious: Nik Antropov was the only player to be considered a top-six forward; its stable of youngsters might not develop into anything more than middling NHLers; and management was not budgeting for the playoffs.

"There are rocky days ahead," Cliff Fletcher warned. "The key for us is patience."

After 41 games, the team has lived up -- or, rather, down -- to expectations.

The Leafs, who completed the first-half of the season with a one-sided 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, are 16-19-6. They have two fewer points than they did at this point last year. And they are now closer to a lottery pick than a playoff spot.

Not that anyone in the Leafs' dressing room is particularly surprised.

"We have to be patient," centre Dominic Moore said. "We knew all along that there was going to be ups and downs in the season. There's plenty of time to continue to improve. That's what we have to do."

Aside from whether they will continue their downward spiral to the bottom of the standings, here are five questions as the Leafs enter the second-half of the season:

WHO WILL BE PACKING HIS SUITCASE?

After five weeks on the job, Brian Burke's sole move has been acquiring Brad May. But with his team lacking a second-and fourth-round selection at the June draft, the Leafs general manager is expected to be a very busy man by the time the March 4 trade deadline approaches.

Defenceman Tomas Kaberle, who refused to be traded last season, told reporters on Thursday that if was not in the team's long-term plans than he would be willing to waive his no-movement clause. Pavel Kubina has hinted that he might follow suit.

The question is whom will Burke keep?

Rookie defenceman Luke Schenn is considered untouchable. And Vesa Toskala's erratic play may have cooled any interest. But every other person in the dressing room should be essentially up for grabs -- unless they fit the GM's long-term plan.

"[Dominic]Moore might be a guy he keeps," said Blackhawks assistant GM Rick Dudley. "He may end up as a Sammy Pahlsson-type player. Guys like that are valuable."

WILL THE KIDS GROW UP?

The Leafs are supposed be rebuilding with youngsters. But with a roster where the average age is 28, little ground has been broken.

Sure, Mikhail Grabovski is amongst the top six rookies with 12 goals and 23 points. And first-round pick Schenn has already established himself as Toronto's most physical and defensively responsible player. But the rest of the team's prospects have given little hope for future.

After starting the season with the Leafs, defenceman Anton Stralman and forwards Nikolai Kulemin and Jiri Tlusty have all been assigned to the minors.

"Everybody keeps saying we're a young team," head coach Ron Wilson said. "I don't even know if we're in the top 10 of young teams."