The 2022 NHL trade deadline is scheduled for Monday, March 21, at 3 p.m. ET. It's an annual event shrouded in uncertainty, whose preceding hype rarely matches its actual action. But there are a few teams and individuals that could really start the party this season.

Are the Dallas Stars playoff contenders, or willing to trade away big-name pending free agents? Where will Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux and Chicago Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury accept as their next destinations, if they decide to move at all? How deep will the roster reconstruction for the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens go at the deadline, or will that process get rolling in earnest in the offseason? And, above all else, which Stanley Cup contender is willing to go all-in for what they believe could be the final piece of a championship puzzle?

Here is a tier-by-tier look at the rentals, the investments and the wild-card stars whose availability could turn this deadline on its collective head.