Yes, with no disrespect to the new third-season characters, the thematic and tonal consequences of Schanke's removal were especially profound and far-reaching.

For myself, I would have extended the first-season milieu, if I could. And then if I couldn't, I would have extended that of second-season, yet could have happily then added the new third-season characters to an ongoing second-season story-world... I imagine Tracy as a recurring rookie character who joins both Nick and Schanke (and interacts with Cohen), and Urs at Janette's Raven, rather than Lacroix's Raven, and Captain Reese returning to his previous precinct, but with interactions across precincts...