Board Thread:False Info and Speculative Discussion/@comment-4091815-20150521201341/@comment-13965604-20150609160542

Bennett89 wrote: My guess is they could be focusing on the "Doctors" in the first half or so and have simply either pushed back the Desert Wolf storyline, or will explain that Derek and Braeden are off tracking her down

That seemed fairly clear from the finale, so I wouldn't count on a reiteration of what Derek is doing. But yea, focussing on the doctors for the first five episodes of the 20 episode season then bringing in DW would line up with why Colton left. I seem to remember something about them not wanting him for the first five or six episodes, and him and his agent weren't having it.