Despite the reasons why, I'm happy that they recast Elmo. My opinion is that, with Clash gone, they might not be giving so much focus to Elmo anymore. They're keeping him around, but it seems like he'll be more of a team player now. Part of the ensemble cast, rather than the star, shall we say, which is nice for Ryan Dillon too, considering how odd it would be to have new blood thrust into a leading role, before having the chance to build up a rapport with the other Muppeteers.
I hope Dillon gets some characters of his own eventually, so we can see what he can really do. (A la Matt Vogel, who for years I just knew as "Carroll Spinney's understudy" but who has since become a very talented performer in his own right).