It depends on the final design, but I currently would disagree with you. Assuming they don’t change it, Surge of Light still makes Flash Heal useful, even with Heal being added (back?) to the spellbook.

I heal progression on a Shaman; I consider Riptide a pretty bad spell in our arsenal (the spell itself; Tidal Waves/2pcT10/T10 totem is a separate issue), but it’s still the only tool I have to instantly heal, or heal on the move, without spending a 2m cooldown. EmpRenew, PW:S or Holy Nova aside, if you consider the synergy with Surge of Light, Flash Heal will still have a niche and allow Bliz to incorporate an instant, direct heal with the Chakra paradigm (ie, if their intent behind Chakra is that once you start using direct heals, you lose the benefit when you cast a Renew/Holy Nova/PW:S, an instant Flash Heal would allow you to cast on the move while maintaining your Chakra benefits).

Without SoL, I think I’d agree with you. Actually, without SoL, I’d suggest they just turn FH into a priests’ version of Holy Shock, instant cast with a high mana requirement and cooldown. One of the reasons I like the Chakra paradigm is that it allows Bliz to take a class that has everything at its disposal and dynamically specialize into a type of healing. That offers some great potential for exceptional healers.