diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common/Internal/Protocol/HubProtocolWriteMessageExtensions.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common/Internal/Protocol/HubProtocolWriteMessageExtensions.cs
index 773237dddb..119732ef56 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common/Internal/Protocol/HubProtocolWriteMessageExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common/Internal/Protocol/HubProtocolWriteMessageExtensions.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // Copyright (c) .NET Foundation. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
 
-using System;
 using System.IO;
 
 namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Internal.Protocol
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Redis/RedisHubLifetimeManager.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Redis/RedisHubLifetimeManager.cs
index 25bdd602de..b14446fc0b 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Redis/RedisHubLifetimeManager.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Redis/RedisHubLifetimeManager.cs
@@ -314,11 +314,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Redis
 
         private async Task WriteAsync(HubConnectionContext connection, HubMessage hubMessage)
         {
-            var data = connection.Protocol.WriteToArray(hubMessage);
-
             while (await connection.Output.WaitToWriteAsync())
             {
-                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(data))
+                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(hubMessage))
                 {
                     break;
                 }
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/DefaultHubLifetimeManager.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/DefaultHubLifetimeManager.cs
index 3b7b33645c..18c9c80c9c 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/DefaultHubLifetimeManager.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/DefaultHubLifetimeManager.cs
@@ -125,11 +125,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
 
         private async Task WriteAsync(HubConnectionContext connection, HubMessage hubMessage)
         {
-            var payload = connection.Protocol.WriteToArray(hubMessage);
-
             while (await connection.Output.WaitToWriteAsync())
             {
-                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(payload))
+                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(hubMessage))
                 {
                     break;
                 }
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubConnectionContext.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubConnectionContext.cs
index b84efb3b81..b84213bfb9 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubConnectionContext.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubConnectionContext.cs
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
 {
     public class HubConnectionContext
     {
-        private readonly WritableChannel<byte[]> _output;
+        private readonly WritableChannel<HubMessage> _output;
         private readonly ConnectionContext _connectionContext;
 
-        public HubConnectionContext(WritableChannel<byte[]> output, ConnectionContext connectionContext)
+        public HubConnectionContext(WritableChannel<HubMessage> output, ConnectionContext connectionContext)
         {
             _output = output;
             _connectionContext = connectionContext;
@@ -51,6 +51,6 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
             set => DataEncoderFeature.DataEncoder = value;
         }
 
-        public virtual WritableChannel<byte[]> Output => _output;
+        public virtual WritableChannel<HubMessage> Output => _output;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubEndPoint.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubEndPoint.cs
index 26db9b46e4..29182191aa 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubEndPoint.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR/HubEndPoint.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
 
         public async Task OnConnectedAsync(ConnectionContext connection)
         {
-            var output = Channel.CreateUnbounded<byte[]>();
+            var output = Channel.CreateUnbounded<HubMessage>();
 
             // Set the hub feature before doing anything else. This stores
             // all the relevant state for a SignalR Hub connection.
@@ -72,8 +72,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
             {
                 while (await output.In.WaitToReadAsync())
                 {
-                    while (output.In.TryRead(out var buffer))
+                    while (output.In.TryRead(out var hubMessage))
                     {
+                        var buffer = connectionContext.Protocol.WriteToArray(hubMessage);
                         buffer = encoder.Encode(buffer);
 
                         while (await connection.Transport.Out.WaitToWriteAsync())
@@ -298,11 +299,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
 
         private async Task SendMessageAsync(HubConnectionContext connection, IHubProtocol protocol, HubMessage hubMessage)
         {
-            var payload = protocol.WriteToArray(hubMessage);
-
             while (await connection.Output.WaitToWriteAsync())
             {
-                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(payload))
+                if (connection.Output.TryWrite(hubMessage))
                 {
                     return;
                 }
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Tests/Internal/DefaultHubProtocolResolverTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Tests/Internal/DefaultHubProtocolResolverTests.cs
index 1bb206a1db..fc0defc8ad 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Tests/Internal/DefaultHubProtocolResolverTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Tests/Internal/DefaultHubProtocolResolverTests.cs
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common.Protocol.Tests
         [MemberData(nameof(HubProtocols))]
         public void DefaultHubProtocolResolverTestsCanCreateSupportedProtocols(IHubProtocol protocol)
         {
-            var mockConnection = new Mock<HubConnectionContext>(Channel.CreateUnbounded<byte[]>().Out, new Mock<ConnectionContext>().Object);
+            var mockConnection = new Mock<HubConnectionContext>(Channel.CreateUnbounded<HubMessage>().Out, new Mock<ConnectionContext>().Object);
             Assert.IsType(
                 protocol.GetType(),
                 new DefaultHubProtocolResolver().GetProtocol(protocol.Name, mockConnection.Object));
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Common.Protocol.Tests
         [InlineData("dummy")]
         public void DefaultHubProtocolResolverThrowsForNotSupportedProtocol(string protocolName)
         {
-            var mockConnection = new Mock<HubConnectionContext>(Channel.CreateUnbounded<byte[]>().Out, new Mock<ConnectionContext>().Object);
+            var mockConnection = new Mock<HubConnectionContext>(Channel.CreateUnbounded<HubMessage>().Out, new Mock<ConnectionContext>().Object);
             var exception = Assert.Throws<NotSupportedException>(
                 () => new DefaultHubProtocolResolver().GetProtocol(protocolName, mockConnection.Object));