diff --git a/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/client_channel.c b/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/client_channel.c
index 04b0ffd..83e3b8f 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/client_channel.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/client_channel.c
@@ -914,14 +914,14 @@
         .arena = calld->arena};
     grpc_error *new_error = grpc_connected_subchannel_create_call(
         exec_ctx, calld->connected_subchannel, &call_args, &subchannel_call);
-    if (new_error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
-      new_error = grpc_error_add_child(new_error, error);
-      subchannel_call = CANCELLED_CALL;
-      fail_locked(exec_ctx, calld, new_error);
-    }
     gpr_atm_rel_store(&calld->subchannel_call,
                       (gpr_atm)(uintptr_t)subchannel_call);
-    retry_waiting_locked(exec_ctx, calld);
+    if (new_error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
+      new_error = grpc_error_add_child(new_error, error);
+      fail_locked(exec_ctx, calld, new_error);
+    } else {
+      retry_waiting_locked(exec_ctx, calld);
+    }
   }
   GRPC_CALL_STACK_UNREF(exec_ctx, calld->owning_call, "pick_subchannel");
 }
@@ -1152,15 +1152,12 @@
         .arena = calld->arena};
     grpc_error *error = grpc_connected_subchannel_create_call(
         exec_ctx, calld->connected_subchannel, &call_args, &subchannel_call);
+    gpr_atm_rel_store(&calld->subchannel_call,
+                      (gpr_atm)(uintptr_t)subchannel_call);
     if (error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
-      subchannel_call = CANCELLED_CALL;
-      gpr_atm_rel_store(&calld->subchannel_call,
-                        (gpr_atm)(uintptr_t)subchannel_call);
       fail_locked(exec_ctx, calld, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
       grpc_transport_stream_op_batch_finish_with_failure(exec_ctx, op, error);
     } else {
-      gpr_atm_rel_store(&calld->subchannel_call,
-                        (gpr_atm)(uintptr_t)subchannel_call);
       retry_waiting_locked(exec_ctx, calld);
       /* recurse to retry */
       start_transport_stream_op_batch_locked_inner(exec_ctx, op, elem);
diff --git a/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/subchannel.c b/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/subchannel.c
index 29a1a09..9a7a7a0 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/subchannel.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/filters/client_channel/subchannel.c
@@ -769,7 +769,7 @@
   *call = gpr_arena_alloc(
       args->arena, sizeof(grpc_subchannel_call) + chanstk->call_stack_size);
   grpc_call_stack *callstk = SUBCHANNEL_CALL_TO_CALL_STACK(*call);
-  (*call)->connection = con;  // Ref is added below.
+  (*call)->connection = GRPC_CONNECTED_SUBCHANNEL_REF(con, "subchannel_call");
   const grpc_call_element_args call_args = {.call_stack = callstk,
                                             .server_transport_data = NULL,
                                             .context = NULL,
@@ -784,7 +784,6 @@
     gpr_log(GPR_ERROR, "error: %s", error_string);
     return error;
   }
-  GRPC_CONNECTED_SUBCHANNEL_REF(con, "subchannel_call");
   grpc_call_stack_set_pollset_or_pollset_set(exec_ctx, callstk, args->pollent);
   return GRPC_ERROR_NONE;
 }