Shee - Depending on the countertop bs material, it can be taken off without a lot of damage to the wall. You will have to sand down any remaining adhesive and spackle/sand, which is time consuming and dusty/messy. Stone is hardest to remove. Laminate is easier. And doing it yourself (or giving a contractor the stink eye while it's being done) you have the motivation to remove it as carefully as possible. You won't know until the bs is down, but you may only need to caulk where the counter meets the wall.

Why don't you just do stainless backsplash behind the range up to the hood and leave the rest intact?

Java - The counters are corian. What color caulking would you use or would you paint it? Since the stove top is black, black would be the filler color I would want in this case, right?

Ineffablespace - I didn't think about that. Hmm... honestly I prefer the look without the countertop backsplash (that's why I want the slide in). I don't know if I want the extra stainless to clean. I'm also wondering about the cost. The filler piece is inexpensive. SS backsplashes I found doing a quick search were close to $300. I wouldn't mind that price if I really loved the look. The stainless behind the range is still an option though.
westiegirl
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I kind of like this.
fusion glass
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Would it really look that strange to not have any backsplash on the wall and just use caulking or a trim piece at the countertop?

We will most likely have another over the range microwave.