Agreed - H&B may have stepped back during the season, but they had excellent results before they did. I think if they come back healthy, with good programs, I don't think they'll have lost much ground. I guess if Gr/Par improve dramatically, that could be a factor but... I don't think they'll catch H&B so quickly. (I'm not a H&B stan, but a big fan and also hold out hope they dominate until they retire)
It will be interesting to see how H&B and La&La are scored early next season as both teams missed worlds, though certainly for different reasons.
Did G&P go from 1st at the GPF to 3rd just because they missed events? Or because they came out strong while other teams struggled slightly? If C&B had the same issues with their programs and performance at Worlds & WTT, I'm sure G&P would have scored much closer to them.
G&F should have always placed above G&P, but their FD wasn't as judge-friendly as the lackluster Evita, if we're being honest. I loved it, but I'm definitely not a skating judge.