The 997 should have the same complement of inputs and outputs, albeit with the addition of balanced pre-amp outputs in place of the amps. The rear panel of the R-972 shows four HDMI inputs and three component inputs. It also have four AV rear inputs, one AV front input, and two rear audio inputs. There are also four rear optical, one front optical, and two rear coaxial digital audio inputs. How the unit allows inputs to be configured to use those connections will probably not be clear until we have a manual in hand.

What we do know currently is that the 990 allows the front AV input to be assigned to rear panel component, DVI, and digital audio inputs. We also know that the 990's 7.1 Direct input can be assigned to any component or DVI input. We can make assumptions based on that, and those assumptions would suggest that your scenario is reasonable, but I am not ready to plan any cabling or component arrangements based on those assumptions until I can see a manual.