‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 9 spoilers: Get ready to see Derek as teacher

Are you ready to see a different side of Dr. Derek Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy” this season? Let’s just say that we are going to get plenty of opportunities courtesy of what is coming up beyond Thursday night’s new episode.

The bad news for Derek arrived early on during the season premiere last week: thanks in part to the after-effects of the plane crash, it looks as though he is no longer going to be able to operate. However, he does have an important rule still to play as a mentor to other upcoming doctors at Seattle Grace, and this is something that he has to be willing to transition into.

So how tough will this transition be? Speaking to TV Guide in a new interview, here is what Kevin McKidd had to say:

“Derek has to try and find his peace with that … He doesn’t get to cut anymore, but he gets to be this amazing teacher. Owen helps him learn how to be a teacher again.”

Do we really think that this is going to happen for him? At the moment, we’re feeling rather confident based on the resiliency that we have seen from Derek thus far. He has never been someone to give up without a fight, and we really don’t see any reason for that to change at all now. The difference? Now, he is going to be fighting for something rather different than saving someone’s life on an operating table; instead, he will be fighting to ensure that someone else can do it effectively for many years to come.

Do you like the vulnerability that this injury is going to give us an opportunity to see from Derek?