diff --git a/server/events.go b/server/events.go
index 3ab75c56d7..2ebfc5ebac 100644
--- a/server/events.go
+++ b/server/events.go
@@ -1065,44 +1065,56 @@ func (s *Server) Node() string {
 // Tradeoff is subscription and interest graph events vs connect and
 // disconnect events, etc.
 func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
-	if !s.EventsEnabled() {
+	// Capture sys in case we are shutdown while setting up.
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	sys := s.sys
+	s.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	if sys == nil || sys.client == nil || sys.account == nil {
 		return
 	}
 	// Create a system hash which we use for other servers to target us specifically.
-	s.sys.shash = getHash(s.info.Name)
+	sys.shash = getHash(s.info.Name)
 
 	// This will be for all inbox responses.
-	subject := fmt.Sprintf(inboxRespSubj, s.sys.shash, "*")
+	subject := fmt.Sprintf(inboxRespSubj, sys.shash, "*")
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.inboxReply); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
-	s.sys.inboxPre = subject
+	sys.inboxPre = subject
 	// This is for remote updates for connection accounting.
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(accConnsEventSubjOld, "*")
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteConnsUpdate)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking for %s: %v", subject, err)
+		return
 	}
 	// This will be for responses for account info that we send out.
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(connsRespSubj, s.info.ID)
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteConnsUpdate)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// Listen for broad requests to respond with number of subscriptions for a given subject.
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(accNumSubsReqSubj, s.noInlineCallback(s.nsubsRequest)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// Listen for statsz from others.
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(serverStatsSubj, "*")
 	if sub, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteServerUpdate)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	} else {
 		// Keep track of this one.
-		s.sys.remoteStatsSub = sub
+		sys.remoteStatsSub = sub
 	}
+
 	// Listen for all server shutdowns.
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(shutdownEventSubj, "*")
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteServerShutdown)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// Listen for servers entering lame-duck mode.
 	// NOTE: This currently is handled in the same way as a server shutdown, but has
@@ -1110,6 +1122,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(lameDuckEventSubj, "*")
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteServerShutdown)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// Listen for account claims updates.
 	subscribeToUpdate := true
@@ -1120,6 +1133,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 		for _, sub := range []string{accUpdateEventSubjOld, accUpdateEventSubjNew} {
 			if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(fmt.Sprintf(sub, "*"), s.noInlineCallback(s.accountClaimUpdate)); err != nil {
 				s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+				return
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -1127,6 +1141,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 	// This subscription is kept for backwards compatibility. Got replaced by ...PING.STATZ from below
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(serverStatsPingReqSubj, s.noInlineCallback(s.statszReq)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	monSrvc := map[string]sysMsgHandler{
 		"IDZ":    s.idzReq,
@@ -1180,10 +1195,12 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 		subject = fmt.Sprintf(serverDirectReqSubj, s.info.ID, name)
 		if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(req)); err != nil {
 			s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+			return
 		}
 		subject = fmt.Sprintf(serverPingReqSubj, name)
 		if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(req)); err != nil {
 			s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+			return
 		}
 	}
 	extractAccount := func(subject string) (string, error) {
@@ -1276,6 +1293,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 	for name, req := range monAccSrvc {
 		if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(fmt.Sprintf(accDirectReqSubj, "*", name), s.noInlineCallback(req)); err != nil {
 			s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+			return
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1284,6 +1302,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 	// is only one that will answer. This breaks tests since we still forward on remote server connect.
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(fmt.Sprintf(userDirectReqSubj, "*"), s.userInfoReq); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 
 	// For now only the STATZ subject has an account specific ping equivalent.
@@ -1301,6 +1320,7 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 			})
 		})); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 
 	// Listen for updates when leaf nodes connect for a given account. This will
@@ -1308,32 +1328,38 @@ func (s *Server) initEventTracking() {
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(leafNodeConnectEventSubj, "*")
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.leafNodeConnected)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// For tracking remote latency measurements.
-	subject = fmt.Sprintf(remoteLatencyEventSubj, s.sys.shash)
+	subject = fmt.Sprintf(remoteLatencyEventSubj, sys.shash)
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.remoteLatencyUpdate)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal latency tracking: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// This is for simple debugging of number of subscribers that exist in the system.
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribeInternal(accSubsSubj, s.noInlineCallback(s.debugSubscribers)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up internal debug service for subscribers: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 
 	// Listen for requests to reload the server configuration.
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(serverReloadReqSubj, s.info.ID)
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.reloadConfig)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up server reload handler: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 
 	// Client connection kick
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(clientKickReqSubj, s.info.ID)
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.kickClient)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up client kick service: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 	// Client connection LDM
 	subject = fmt.Sprintf(clientLDMReqSubj, s.info.ID)
 	if _, err := s.sysSubscribe(subject, s.noInlineCallback(s.ldmClient)); err != nil {
 		s.Errorf("Error setting up client LDM service: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 8a27695898..cc3130ebe5 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -4098,6 +4098,16 @@ func (s *Server) isLameDuckMode() bool {
 	return s.ldm
 }
 
+// LameDuckShutdown will perform a lame duck shutdown of NATS, whereby
+// the client listener is closed, existing client connections are
+// kicked, Raft leaderships are transferred, JetStream is shutdown
+// and then finally shutdown the the NATS Server itself.
+// This function blocks and will not return until the NATS Server
+// has completed the entire shutdown operation.
+func (s *Server) LameDuckShutdown() {
+	s.lameDuckMode()
+}
+
 // This function will close the client listener then close the clients
 // at some interval to avoid a reconnect storm.
 // We will also transfer any raft leaders and shutdown JetStream.
diff --git a/server/stree/stree.go b/server/stree/stree.go
index fd72b3bac0..d0835bf5d1 100644
--- a/server/stree/stree.go
+++ b/server/stree/stree.go
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Empty() *SubjectTree[T] {
 
 // Insert a value into the tree. Will return if the value was updated and if so the old value.
 func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Insert(subject []byte, value T) (*T, bool) {
+	if t == nil {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+
 	old, updated := t.insert(&t.root, subject, value, 0)
 	if !updated {
 		t.size++
@@ -60,6 +64,10 @@ func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Insert(subject []byte, value T) (*T, bool) {
 
 // Find will find the value and return it or false if it was not found.
 func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Find(subject []byte) (*T, bool) {
+	if t == nil {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+
 	var si int
 	for n := t.root; n != nil; {
 		if n.isLeaf() {
@@ -88,6 +96,10 @@ func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Find(subject []byte) (*T, bool) {
 
 // Delete will delete the item and return its value, or not found if it did not exist.
 func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Delete(subject []byte) (*T, bool) {
+	if t == nil {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+
 	val, deleted := t.delete(&t.root, subject, 0)
 	if deleted {
 		t.size--
@@ -97,7 +109,7 @@ func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Delete(subject []byte) (*T, bool) {
 
 // Match will match against a subject that can have wildcards and invoke the callback func for each matched value.
 func (t *SubjectTree[T]) Match(filter []byte, cb func(subject []byte, val *T)) {
-	if len(filter) == 0 || cb == nil {
+	if t == nil || t.root == nil || len(filter) == 0 || cb == nil {
 		return
 	}
 	// We need to break this up into chunks based on wildcards, either pwc '*' or fwc '>'.
diff --git a/server/stree/stree_test.go b/server/stree/stree_test.go
index 7ce59e287e..7177cd6d94 100644
--- a/server/stree/stree_test.go
+++ b/server/stree/stree_test.go
@@ -764,3 +764,14 @@ func TestSubjectTreeMatchNoCallbackDupe(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSubjectTreeNilNoPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	var st *SubjectTree[int]
+	st.Match([]byte("foo"), func(_ []byte, _ *int) {})
+	_, found := st.Find([]byte("foo"))
+	require_False(t, found)
+	_, found = st.Delete([]byte("foo"))
+	require_False(t, found)
+	_, found = st.Insert([]byte("foo"), 22)
+	require_False(t, found)
+}