With Julian Lutz signed and ready to nip at his heels, Dylan Guenther is facing a big challenge in year three. How will he respond?
The late Bill Walsh made competition look cool.
When Walsh made the bold move of acquiring former BYU quarterback Steve Young, it created almost instant tension between him and the incumbent Joe Montana in San Francisco.
Now, most coaches and general managers employ the same tactic that Walsh used to force young players to grow up fast.
And Utah's Bill Armstrong is doing just that.
In officially signing Julian Lutz to an entry-level contract, it adds another potential top-six forward -- and it also creates competition in the top six.
And no one will feel the pressure like Dylan Guenther this season.
The 21-year old made a modest improvement last year, totaling 35 points in 45 games, with 13 of them on the power play.
But rookie Logan Cooley was even better, totaling 44 points in a season where he played all 82 games, equaling Guenther's point total of 13 on the man advantage.
(The fact Lutz had 68 points in just 50 games doesn't help.)
Guenther is likely to play at least 65 to 70 games this season, assuming he doesn't get injured, and Lutz is also likely to start the year in the AHL in Tucson.
His time on ice is also about to rise, and Andre Tourigny will likely ask more of him as the season goes on.
And if he struggles, you know he and Bill Armstrong won't be afraid to pull the plug and send Guenther back to Tucson to help him develop even more.
But this is a big moment for Dylan Guenther, and it won't get any easier for him down the road.
It's time to see what he's made of.