Speaking of Mickey possibly reappearing, I think if they are not going to use the "older" characters, they might just as well kill them off and let them go in a dignified manner. It doesn’t look like Mrs. H. will ever be well enough again to come before the camera so why not just let her die and have a proper tribute.
Same with Mickey. They’ve fooled around trying to replace him with men who just couldn’t fill his shoes. So, if he’s not coming back, let him go also. Why not write in a heart attack while he’s out of town. Then have a funeral and a tribute to him also. I mean, he was the original Mickey and, in my book, the ONLY Mickey. (Hey, they could write in a fatal car crash and take Mrs. H. and Mickey together. That could be a real tear-jerker.)
I know it’s not feasible to do this to some of the younger characters, i.e. Shawn and Belle, Eric, the space twins, and a lot of the others because it’s always possible for them to return but, geeze-Louise, clean house and let these older characters die with dignity. JMO