/* create a CM connection node */
        cm_node = i40iw_make_cm_node(cm_core, iwdev, cm_info, NULL);
        if (!cm_node)
-               return NULL;
+               return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
        /* set our node side to client (active) side */
        cm_node->tcp_cntxt.client = 1;
        cm_node->tcp_cntxt.rcv_wscale = I40IW_CM_DEFAULT_RCV_WND_SCALE;
                                                cm_node->vlan_id,
                                                I40IW_CM_LISTENER_ACTIVE_STATE);
                if (!loopback_remotelistener) {
-                       i40iw_create_event(cm_node, I40IW_CM_EVENT_ABORTED);
+                       i40iw_rem_ref_cm_node(cm_node);
+                       return ERR_PTR(-ECONNREFUSED);
                } else {
                        loopback_cm_info = *cm_info;
                        loopback_cm_info.loc_port = cm_info->rem_port;
                                                                 loopback_remotelistener);
                        if (!loopback_remotenode) {
                                i40iw_rem_ref_cm_node(cm_node);
-                               return NULL;
+                               return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
                        }
                        cm_core->stats_loopbacks++;
                        loopback_remotenode->loopbackpartner = cm_node;
        struct sockaddr_in6 *raddr6;
        bool qhash_set = false;
        int apbvt_set = 0;
+       int err = 0;
        enum i40iw_status_code status;
 
        ibqp = i40iw_get_qp(cm_id->device, conn_param->qpn);
                                       conn_param->private_data_len,
                                       (void *)conn_param->private_data,
                                       &cm_info);
-       if (!cm_node)
-               goto err;
+
+       if (IS_ERR(cm_node)) {
+               err = PTR_ERR(cm_node);
+               goto err_out;
+       }
 
        i40iw_record_ird_ord(cm_node, (u16)conn_param->ird, (u16)conn_param->ord);
        if (cm_node->send_rdma0_op == SEND_RDMA_READ_ZERO &&
        iwqp->cm_id = cm_id;
        i40iw_add_ref(&iwqp->ibqp);
 
-       if (cm_node->state == I40IW_CM_STATE_SYN_SENT) {
-               if (i40iw_send_syn(cm_node, 0)) {
+       if (cm_node->state != I40IW_CM_STATE_OFFLOADED) {
+               cm_node->state = I40IW_CM_STATE_SYN_SENT;
+               err = i40iw_send_syn(cm_node, 0);
+               if (err) {
                        i40iw_rem_ref_cm_node(cm_node);
-                       goto err;
+                       goto err_out;
                }
        }
 
                    cm_node->cm_id);
        return 0;
 
-err:
-       if (cm_node) {
-               if (cm_node->ipv4)
-                       i40iw_debug(cm_node->dev,
-                                   I40IW_DEBUG_CM,
-                                   "Api - connect() FAILED: dest addr=%pI4",
-                                   cm_node->rem_addr);
-               else
-                       i40iw_debug(cm_node->dev, I40IW_DEBUG_CM,
-                                   "Api - connect() FAILED: dest addr=%pI6",
-                                   cm_node->rem_addr);
-       }
-       i40iw_manage_qhash(iwdev,
-                          &cm_info,
-                          I40IW_QHASH_TYPE_TCP_ESTABLISHED,
-                          I40IW_QHASH_MANAGE_TYPE_DELETE,
-                          NULL,
-                          false);
+err_out:
+       if (cm_info.ipv4)
+               i40iw_debug(&iwdev->sc_dev,
+                           I40IW_DEBUG_CM,
+                           "Api - connect() FAILED: dest addr=%pI4",
+                           cm_info.rem_addr);
+       else
+               i40iw_debug(&iwdev->sc_dev,
+                           I40IW_DEBUG_CM,
+                           "Api - connect() FAILED: dest addr=%pI6",
+                           cm_info.rem_addr);
+
+       if (qhash_set)
+               i40iw_manage_qhash(iwdev,
+                                  &cm_info,
+                                  I40IW_QHASH_TYPE_TCP_ESTABLISHED,
+                                  I40IW_QHASH_MANAGE_TYPE_DELETE,
+                                  NULL,
+                                  false);
 
        if (apbvt_set && !i40iw_listen_port_in_use(&iwdev->cm_core,
                                                   cm_info.loc_port))
                                   I40IW_MANAGE_APBVT_DEL);
        cm_id->rem_ref(cm_id);
        iwdev->cm_core.stats_connect_errs++;
-       return -ENOMEM;
+       return err;
 }
 
 /**