'I Was Telling Matty (Auston Matthews) I Might Drop The Gloves': Maple Leafs' William Nylander Jokes About Going Up Against Teammate Auston Matthews At 4 Nations Face-Off

With the NHL getting ready to shut down soon for the first ever 4 Nations Face-Off, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander was asked if there were any side bets among teammates that will be going up against each other.

"No, not yet, but I was telling Matty (Auston Matthews) I might drop the gloves," Nylander joked.

Nylander will be representing (Sweden) in the first-ever best-on-best tournament featuring just the four countries. Matthews was named to Team USA. Both Maple Leafs forwards were named to their respective national teams last summer as part of the 'first six' which speaks to their elite level of play.

The 28-year-old Nylander is off to a flying start this season with 28 goals, which has him sitting third in the NHL. He also has an additional 22 assists in 50 games this season.

Related: Why Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and William Nylander Were Named to First Six Players of 4 Nations Face-Off Rosters for U.S. and Sweden

Matthews, however, has missed 15 games this season due to a lingering upper-body injury. Despite that, the Maple Leafs captain has recorded 20 goals and added 18 assists.

The NHL is hosting a best-on-best tournament for the first time since their World Cup tournament in 2016. Matthews took part in that as part of a 'Team North America' which consisted of Canadian and American players under the age of 23. This tournament, set to take place in mid-February, will only feature Canada, United States, Sweden and Finland.

Related: 'They've Just Talked To Me A Little Bit Maybe To Play With (Mika) Zibanejad': William Nylander Reveals Early Talks With Team Sweden Ahead Of 4 Nations Face-Off

Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was also named to the Canadian team and Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa was named to Finland. Defenseman Christ Tanev is a possibility to be named to Canada as a replacement for Alex Pietrangelo, who opted out of the tournament earlier in the week.

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