When the Nashville Predators traded away a slate of veteran players at the deadline earlier this month, it seemed reasonable to conclude the season was effectively over.

Yes, but: Out of nowhere, an influx of scrappy young players has the Preds surging toward the playoffs in the beleaguered Western Conference.

• Even after their loss last night, the Preds still had the final playoff spot.

Flashback: At the deadline, general manager Barry Trotz shipped away veterans and primarily received draft picks in return.

• Trotz also held on to some key contributors who were rumored to be on the trading block.

State of play: The Predators had been streaking, though their five-game winning streak was snapped in a 4-2 loss to New Jersey.

• The heady play of goalie Juuse Saros has been key during the team's playoff-caliber surge.

Reality check: While the Preds are playing well, their grip on the last wild card berth is tenuous, with three rivals right on their heels in the standings.

• The fact that it's a down year in the Western Conference has helped. If Nashville played in the Eastern Conference, the Preds would be 13th in the standings.

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A Tennessee bill that would radically overhaul how local governments set property tax rates seems to be dead for the session.

Why it matters: The bill would have limited local governments' ability to raise rates by requiring voter approval for any property tax rate increase over 2%.

The big picture: The legislation, from Republicans Rep. Bud Hulsey and Sen. Joey Hensley, was filed following an uproar over property tax bills in Nashville.

• Critics say local governments would be thrown into chaos if they had to hold referendums every time they wanted to raise revenue.
• Hulsey and Hensley's bill took the stance that governments should make the case to voters why taxes must go up.

The latest: The legislation was taken off notice this week in a key House committee, signaling it had almost certainly stalled for the year.

Flashback: Metro Council and Mayor Freddie O'Connell passed a 26% rate increase over the state-mandated equalized rate last year. The rate combined with soaring property values to create much larger tax bills for many owners.

• Rising property values downtown led to a major jump in appraisals there. A stable of hospitality businesses, led by the honky-tonk Acme Feed & Seed, have criticized the appraisal system.

Reality check: Nashville has rarely raised property taxes. Since 2005, the city has increased the rate just four times.

Friction point: The city's Board of Equalization is dealing with a record number of property appraisal appeals from owners eager to reduce their tax bills. Many property owners had to pay their bills while their appeals sat in the queue.

What we're watching: Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston asked Republican lawmakers to pass a bill to loosen the board's rules so appeals could be heard more quickly.

Yes, but: There likely isn't enough time left in the session for lawmakers to consider Johnston's suggested changes.

In case you missed it: Read our story from December about the record number of appeals.

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🪧 About 40 "No Kings" rallies protesting President Trump are planned across the state this weekend. (Tennessean)

☢️ Tennessee is in the running to house the nation's nuclear waste, and some leaders are on board. (WPLN)

🍊 The University of Tennessee's new animal mascot, a 2-year-old Bluetick Coonhound who will be known as Smokey XII, will make his debut next month. (WATE)

👋 Laura from Axios Charlotte here! On a recent road trip to Nashville, my husband and I brought our two dogs, Chester and Bean.

Why it matters: We found Nashville to be very dog-friendly. As responsible DINKs, we didn't want to leave them in the hotel all day, so we researched the best spots ahead of time.

Here are the top picks:

🐾 TailGate Brewery HQ: The Bellevue location has pizza, sandwiches and a huge backyard with picnic tables and sunset views.

🍻 Von Elrod's Beer Hall & Kitchen: A Germantown beer garden with steins, pretzels and a massive dog-friendly patio.

🎶 Vinyl Tap: This East Nashville spot merges a record store with a bar, and pups are free to visit on the patio.

🥨 Village Pub & Beer Garden: East Nashville's hidden gem has a covered patio, whiskey, beer and warm pretzels with mustard that goes hard.

🐕‍🦺 Urban Dog Bar: Why choose between a dog park and a bar when you can have both. Sip in The Nations while the pups play.

• Note: It's an $18 cover for two dogs.

🥃 Big Machine Distillery & Tavern: If you want something other than beer, grab a spot at the Berry Hill location's dog-friendly patio with cocktails, slushies and spirits made in-house.

🍔 M.L.Rose Craft Beer & Burgers: The Sylvan Park location features a roomy, dog-friendly patio.

Pro tip: We leaned on the Axios Nashville team for most of our recs, but BringFido.com was clutch for planning.

It is time to celebrate the weekend by showing off your mental might.

• The genius readers who reply to this email with answers to the following questions will earn a hearty shoutout in the newsletter next week.

1. Name one of the newest group of inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
2. What name are Nashville Democrats using for their push to legalize marijuana and use the tax revenue to fund road work?
3. Which federal lawmaker from Tennessee is pushing to shape President Trump's AI policy?