diff --git a/apollo-router/src/ageing_priority_queue.rs b/apollo-router/src/ageing_priority_queue.rs
index 4dfb9b4c51..6af1c1c672 100644
--- a/apollo-router/src/ageing_priority_queue.rs
+++ b/apollo-router/src/ageing_priority_queue.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@ pub(crate) enum Priority {
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
-pub(crate) struct QueueIsFullError;
+pub(crate) enum SendError {
+    QueueIsFull,
+    Disconnected,
+}
 
 const INNER_QUEUES_COUNT: usize = Priority::P8 as usize - Priority::P1 as usize + 1;
 
@@ -66,15 +69,16 @@ where
     }
 
     /// Panics if `priority` is not in `AVAILABLE_PRIORITIES`
-    pub(crate) fn send(&self, priority: Priority, message: T) -> Result<(), QueueIsFullError> {
+    pub(crate) fn send(&self, priority: Priority, message: T) -> Result<(), SendError> {
         self.queued_count
             .fetch_update(Ordering::Relaxed, Ordering::Relaxed, |previous_count| {
                 (previous_count < self.capacity).then_some(previous_count + 1)
             })
-            .map_err(|_| QueueIsFullError)?;
+            .map_err(|_| SendError::QueueIsFull)?;
         let (inner_sender, _) = &self.inner_queues[index_from_priority(priority)];
-        inner_sender.send(message).expect("disconnected channel");
-        Ok(())
+        inner_sender
+            .send(message)
+            .map_err(|crossbeam_channel::SendError(_)| SendError::Disconnected)
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn receiver(&self) -> Receiver<'_, T> {
@@ -93,17 +97,17 @@ impl<T> Receiver<'_, T>
 where
     T: Send + 'static,
 {
-    pub(crate) fn blocking_recv(&mut self) -> T {
+    pub(crate) fn blocking_recv(&mut self) -> Result<T, crossbeam_channel::RecvError> {
         // Because we used `Select::new_biased` above,
         // `select()` will not shuffle receivers as it would with `Select::new` (for fairness)
         // but instead will try each one in priority order.
         let selected = self.select.select();
         let index = selected.index();
         let (_tx, rx) = &self.shared.inner_queues[index];
-        let item = selected.recv(rx).expect("disconnected channel");
+        let item = selected.recv(rx)?;
         self.shared.queued_count.fetch_sub(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.age(index);
-        item
+        Ok(item)
     }
 
     // Promote some messages from priorities lower (higher indices) than `message_consumed_at_index`
@@ -138,9 +142,9 @@ fn test_priorities() {
     assert_eq!(queue.queued_count(), 4);
 
     let mut receiver = queue.receiver();
-    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv(), "p3");
-    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv(), "p2");
-    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv(), "p2 again");
-    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv(), "p1");
+    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv().unwrap(), "p3");
+    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv().unwrap(), "p2");
+    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv().unwrap(), "p2 again");
+    assert_eq!(receiver.blocking_recv().unwrap(), "p1");
     assert_eq!(queue.queued_count(), 0);
 }
diff --git a/apollo-router/src/compute_job.rs b/apollo-router/src/compute_job.rs
index 3e28e7e670..2a7e0774d3 100644
--- a/apollo-router/src/compute_job.rs
+++ b/apollo-router/src/compute_job.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use tokio::sync::oneshot;
 
 use crate::ageing_priority_queue::AgeingPriorityQueue;
 pub(crate) use crate::ageing_priority_queue::Priority;
-use crate::ageing_priority_queue::QueueIsFullError;
+use crate::ageing_priority_queue::SendError;
 use crate::metrics::meter_provider;
 
 /// We generate backpressure in tower `poll_ready` when the number of queued jobs
@@ -78,7 +78,10 @@ pub(crate) fn queue() -> &'static AgeingPriorityQueue<Job> {
 
                 let mut receiver = queue.receiver();
                 loop {
-                    let job = receiver.blocking_recv();
+                    // This `expect` never panics because this channel can never be disconnect:
+                    // the sender is owned by `queue` which we can access here:
+                    let _proof_of_life: &'static AgeingPriorityQueue<_> = queue;
+                    let job = receiver.blocking_recv().expect("disconnected channel");
                     job();
                 }
             });
@@ -101,10 +104,23 @@ where
         // Ignore the error if the oneshot receiver was dropped
         let _ = tx.send(std::panic::catch_unwind(job));
     });
-    queue()
-        .send(priority, job)
-        .map_err(|QueueIsFullError| ComputeBackPressureError)?;
-    Ok(async { rx.await.expect("channel disconnected") })
+    let queue = queue();
+    queue.send(priority, job).map_err(|e| match e {
+        SendError::QueueIsFull => ComputeBackPressureError,
+        SendError::Disconnected => {
+            // This never panics because this channel can never be disconnect:
+            // the receiver is owned by `queue` which we can access here:
+            let _proof_of_life: &'static AgeingPriorityQueue<_> = queue;
+            unreachable!()
+        }
+    })?;
+    Ok(async move {
+        // This `expect` never panics because this oneshot channel can never be disconnect:
+        // the sender is owned by `job` which, if we reach here, was successfully sent to the queue.
+        // The queue or thread pool never drop a job without executing it.
+        // When executing, `catch_unwind` ensures that the sender cannot be dropped without sending.
+        rx.await.expect("channel disconnected")
+    })
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn create_queue_size_gauge() -> ObservableGauge<u64> {