We’ve already seen “furloughs” like this on Chicago Fire and know what they mean.

The latest Chicago Fire news that really shook everyone up was that of Chief Wallace Boden’s exit from the show. Having been the staple of the series since Day One, Boden is already missed tremendously, but it’s too early to cut our losses: admittedly, there’s a good chance we’ll lose another important character, at least for the foreseeable future. Things aren’t looking too hot in Firehouse 51 right now.

Another Unexpected Exit From Chicago Fire

Chief Boden’s leave to become the new CFD leader was at least explicitly stated and realistically, it was a long time coming. But Sam Carver’s disappearance most definitely wasn’t!

According to Stella Kidd, Carver simply “took a furlough” after his conflicts with Severide’s brother Jack Damon and his lover Violet Mikami, but come on: we’ve seen quite a few of these “furloughs” and “temporary leaves” lately.

Sure, Carver might actually return just like Kelly did… But we have a bad feeling about this one, we really do. Carver’s furlough was uncalled for and doesn’t seem to be justified plot-wise, potentially suggesting the actor’s personal leave of absence — which can’t be good considering Chicago Fire’s budget issues and recent firings.

Chicago Fire’s Been Axing Characters Lately

Between Kelly Severide’s notorious leave for training (which ended with his return, fortunately) and Sam Carver’s furlough, we have already lost one too many major characters in Season 12. Starting with Blake Gallo and Sylvie Brett’s heartbreaking exits, we later saw Derrick Gibson and Wallace Boden leave the series, as well.

This is a truly worrying tendency, and it only increases our suspicions about Sam Carver’s future on the show. Admittedly, his leave could be even more devastating.

Carver started his Chicago Fire journey as one of the most useless and frankly annoying characters, but over time, he developed into an interesting persona. His relationship with Violet alone was the most interesting romantic line on the show, and he had all the chances to become the new face of Chicago Fire…

So here’s to hoping Kidd was right and Carver’s furlough is indeed just a furlough. We’re not sure how many more major characters the show can afford to lose.