Yeah I would 100% keep Jordan over Smith. We paid a pretty penny for him and I'm sure other teams will view Smith as valuable thanks to the championship pedigree. I also think Jordan is a better fit on the blue line next year, as he's the top returning points guy and the kind of player that can ride shotgun on whoever steps up to take the reigns on the powerplay.
I think there's a big opportunity for a guy like Ethier to explode next season, or if the incoming import has an offensive slant.
Hard to say what Ethier will be. I agree he has skill with the potential to explode but we've had such a small sample size with him this year. I like his skating and his puck movement. He showed off a good shot in the preseason. He's pretty solid at 6'.0" and 187lbs. Solid tool kit to work with so I'll be very interested in seeing what he can do with a real opportunity next season.
I'm thinking the D group will look something like:
Jordan(OA - L) - Petrovski(05 - L)
G.Smith(07 - L) - Rogers(06 - R)
Ethier(06 - L) - import/08 D
I'm still intrigued by what Rogers might be. He's a late birthday and I think he could still breakout, more so with the offense. He skates well and can rip the puck. He competes hard too. A good offseason and continuing to add weight to his frame could make for a really interesting season for him in what will be his draft year.
Gabe Smith is also really intriguing to me. He's obviously got size and reach but he moves very well. He plays a pretty simple game but I could see him developing into a lock down D with time. He has a really interesting tool kit. He scored a bit before coming into the OHL as well so wouldn't shock me to see him add offensive elements to his game once he's more comfortable.
Overall the D group projects to be young and predominantly left hand shots. Petrovski has played his offside a fair bit this season and done well. I expect he will get the biggest load increase next year and likely get the PP1 QB role, at least to start. The import D or 08D being right handed would help balance out the handedness of the pairings. Jordan and Petrovski being paired together can take on the tougher assignments to help shelter some of the growing pains expected of the youth playing behind them. Honestly, I don't hate that mix on paper.