The Winnipeg Jets have entered a new era in goal, sending long-time starter Ondrej Pavelec down to the Manitoba Moose one day before NHL teams must declare their final rosters for the start of the 2016-17 season.

The Jets sent Pavelec and seven skaters down to their American Hockey League affiliate on the morning of Thanksgiving Monday.

The move paves the way for Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson to share the goaltending duties for the Jets and ends the intrigue surrounding the fate of Pavelec, who is entering the final year of his contract.

"[We have] two good, young goalies here that have both had blocks of time where they look like they have the ability to become No. 1 guys," Jets coach Paul Maurice said following a team practice at the MTS Iceplex. "They need that opportunity to show it and they'll get it here with the two of them."

Hutchinson said it's nice to know his work is paying off, but said it's tough to see a friend like Pavelec go while he made the team.

"I didn't even realize it until we had a meeting and Pavs wasn't there," he said. "I'll definitely reach out to Pavs and see how he's doing."

Hellebuyck said making the Jets is not enough.

"I'm not satisfied yet. I want to win the Stanley Cup and I think the team in here can do it," he said.

In addition to Pavelec, who will make $4.75 million this season, the Jets also sent down forwards Andrew Copp, Nic Petan, Anthony Peluso, Chase De Leo and Marko Dano, all of whom saw action with the NHL club last season.

Copp made the team last season as a rookie, taking the fourth-line centre role that opened up after the Jets didn't re-sign Jim Slater. Petan also started last season as a rookie with the Jets, but spent most of the 2015-16 with the Moose.

De Leo played two games with the Jets last season, Dano arrived from the trade with Chicago for Andrew Ladd and Peluso served as the club's enforcer for parts of the past four seasons.

Also heading to the Moose are defencemen Julian Melchiori and Brian Strait, the latter signed as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Peluso, Melchiori, Strait and Pavelec all have to clear waivers before they can report to the AHL club.

The Jets have to declare their final 23-player roster on Tuesday at 4 p.m. They have 24 players on the roster as of Monday: 15 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders.

One of those forwards is rookie Brendan Lemieux, who's been injured throughout most of this training camp.

Regardless of Lemieux's fate, Monday's cuts mean the club will start the NHL season with at least four rookies: Finnish winger Patrik Laine, the club's first-round pick in the 2016 draft; American forward Kyle Connor, one of the top NCAA players last season; defenceman Josh Morrissey, the Jets first pick in 2012; and forward Brandon Tanev, a free-agent signing at the end of last season.

"We're putting a lot of young men in our lineup," Maurice said. "We have faith in them. We're going to [be] patient with them. But we still have to learn about them too. As much as we like them and we know them, we don't know a whole lot really about them. So we have to be on the ice with them every day."