diff --git a/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.c b/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.c
index 241b46c9b..14bc8f76c 100644
--- a/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.c
+++ b/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.c
@@ -77,12 +77,12 @@ subsystem_delete_event(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 }
 
 static void
-subsystem_unregister_poller(void *arg1, void *arg2)
+subsystem_stop(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 {
 	struct nvmf_tgt_subsystem *app_subsys = arg1;
 	struct spdk_event *event = arg2;
 
-	spdk_poller_unregister(&app_subsys->poller);
+	spdk_nvmf_subsystem_stop(app_subsys->subsystem);
 
 	spdk_event_call(event);
 }
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ nvmf_tgt_delete_subsystem(struct nvmf_tgt_subsystem *app_subsys)
 
 	event2 = spdk_event_allocate(spdk_env_get_current_core(), subsystem_delete_event,
 				     app_subsys, NULL);
-	event1 = spdk_event_allocate(app_subsys->lcore, subsystem_unregister_poller, app_subsys, event2);
+	event1 = spdk_event_allocate(app_subsys->lcore, subsystem_stop, app_subsys, event2);
 
 	spdk_event_call(event1);
 }
diff --git a/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.h b/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.h
index a59aead0c..8c9081097 100644
--- a/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.h
+++ b/app/nvmf_tgt/nvmf_tgt.h
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf {
 
 struct nvmf_tgt_subsystem {
 	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem;
-	struct spdk_poller *poller;
 
 	TAILQ_ENTRY(nvmf_tgt_subsystem) tailq;
 
diff --git a/include/spdk/nvmf.h b/include/spdk/nvmf.h
index 5532c1d9b..4d69ff725 100644
--- a/include/spdk/nvmf.h
+++ b/include/spdk/nvmf.h
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *spdk_nvmf_tgt_find_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_tgt *t
  */
 int spdk_nvmf_subsystem_start(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem);
 
+void spdk_nvmf_subsystem_stop(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem);
+
 void spdk_nvmf_delete_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem);
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c b/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
index 96aac1142..232c66777 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/subsystem.c
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ spdk_nvmf_subsystem_start(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem)
 	return spdk_nvmf_subsystem_bdev_attach(subsystem);
 }
 
+void
+spdk_nvmf_subsystem_stop(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem)
+{
+	spdk_nvmf_subsystem_bdev_detach(subsystem);
+}
+
 static bool
 spdk_nvmf_valid_nqn(const char *nqn)
 {
@@ -171,8 +177,6 @@ spdk_nvmf_delete_subsystem(struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem)
 		spdk_nvmf_ctrlr_destruct(ctrlr);
 	}
 
-	spdk_nvmf_subsystem_bdev_detach(subsystem);
-
 	free(subsystem->ns);
 
 	subsystem->tgt->subsystems[subsystem->id] = NULL;