Grey’s Anatomy Season 9: Premiere episode photo sparks speculations [SPOILER ALERT]

How will Eric Dane leave the series?

Grey's Anatomy Season 9 will premiere with the aftermath of the deadly plane crash that involved Mark Sloan and his "soulmate" Lexie Grey.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

If you have avoided all sorts of Season 8 spoilers because you have not watched the entire season, this is the time to stop reading.

Fans have yet to recover from the death of Little Grey, a beloved character in the ABC drama played by Chyler Leigh. And now Mark's life is in danger, too.

Spoiler TV has released a teaser photo in which Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) is seen seemingly comforting a visibly weak Sloan on a hospital bed.

Speculations: Does Mark Sloan die eventually, or does he recover? What happens to Arizona Robbins?

Eric Dane has recently opened up on his imminent departure from Grey's Anatomy.

In a statement to TV Line, Dane said, "I am extremely grateful to everyone at Grey's, ABC and Shondaland for the experience and memories I have had over the course of this run."

The questions now are the following:

1. How will Dane/Sloan leave? Will he die, or will he choose to move?
2. How will Sloan take care of his daughter with his best friend Callie?
3. What about Callie's wife, Arizona Robbins? Will she survive?

There are more questions on the rest of the characters. But it has been widely claimed that Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Bailey, Owen, April, Jackson and Dr Webber are all coming back in the fall.

Sloan-Avery-Kepner speculation

Jackson has not revealed a chosen medical institution after passing the Boards last season. With Sloan's imminent exit, it will not be surprising if Jackson would be Sloan's replacement on the plastics department. If that happens, he may be in a position to choose someone in his team.

Will Jackson open a door so April Kepner could come back to Seattle Grace?

Grey's Anatomy is barely two months away from Season 9. Hang in there, Grey's fans.