diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardMigrator.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardMigrator.ts
index 3d037d064c2..ed0d87a0457 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardMigrator.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardMigrator.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import { getStandardFieldConfigs, getStandardOptionEditors } from '@grafana/ui';
 standardEditorsRegistry.setInit(getStandardOptionEditors);
 standardFieldConfigEditorRegistry.setInit(getStandardFieldConfigs);
 
+type PanelSchemeUpgradeHandler = (panel: PanelModel) => PanelModel;
 export class DashboardMigrator {
   dashboard: DashboardModel;
 
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
   updateSchema(old: any) {
     let i, j, k, n;
     const oldVersion = this.dashboard.schemaVersion;
-    const panelUpgrades = [];
+    const panelUpgrades: PanelSchemeUpgradeHandler[] = [];
     this.dashboard.schemaVersion = 30;
 
     if (oldVersion === this.dashboard.schemaVersion) {
@@ -71,8 +72,9 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
         if (panel.type === 'graphite') {
           panel.type = 'graph';
         }
+
         if (panel.type !== 'graph') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         if (isBoolean(panel.legend)) {
@@ -106,6 +108,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
           panel.y_formats[1] = panel.y2_format;
           delete panel.y2_format;
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -118,6 +122,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
           panel.id = maxId;
           maxId += 1;
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -126,12 +132,16 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       // move aliasYAxis changes
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'graph') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
+
         each(panel.aliasYAxis, (value, key) => {
           panel.seriesOverrides = [{ alias: key, yaxis: value }];
         });
+
         delete panel.aliasYAxis;
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -175,6 +185,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             target.refId = panel.getNextQueryLetter && panel.getNextQueryLetter();
           }
         });
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -218,6 +230,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             }
           }
         });
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -226,7 +240,7 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       // move aliasYAxis changes
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'singlestat' && panel.thresholds !== '') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         if (panel.thresholds) {
@@ -237,6 +251,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             panel.thresholds = k.join(',');
           }
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -245,7 +261,7 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       // move aliasYAxis changes
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'table') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         each(panel.styles, (style) => {
@@ -255,6 +271,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             style.thresholds = k;
           }
         });
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -279,10 +297,10 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       // update graph yaxes changes
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'graph') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
         if (!panel.grid) {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         if (!panel.yaxes) {
@@ -321,6 +339,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
           delete panel['y-axis'];
           delete panel['x-axis'];
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -328,10 +348,10 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       // update graph yaxes changes
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'graph') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
         if (!panel.grid) {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         if (!panel.thresholds) {
@@ -388,6 +408,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
         delete panel.grid.threshold2;
         delete panel.grid.threshold2Color;
         delete panel.grid.thresholdLine;
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -413,7 +435,10 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
               }) - 1
             ];
         }
+
         delete panel.minSpan;
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -444,6 +469,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
           delete panel.options.suffix;
           delete panel['options-gauge'];
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -453,6 +480,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
         if (panel.links && isArray(panel.links)) {
           panel.links = panel.links.map(upgradePanelLink);
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -480,6 +509,8 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             );
           }
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -502,18 +533,22 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
             panel.options.fieldOptions.defaults.links = panel.options.fieldOptions.defaults.links.map(updateLinks);
           }
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
     if (oldVersion < 22) {
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         if (panel.type !== 'table') {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         each(panel.styles, (style) => {
           style.align = 'auto';
         });
+
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -533,13 +568,14 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         const wasAngularTable = panel.type === 'table';
         if (wasAngularTable && !panel.styles) {
-          return; // styles are missing so assumes default settings
+          return panel; // styles are missing so assumes default settings
         }
         const wasReactTable = panel.table === 'table2';
         if (!wasAngularTable || wasReactTable) {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
         panel.type = wasAngularTable ? 'table-old' : 'table';
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -551,11 +587,12 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: any) => {
         const wasReactText = panel.type === 'text2';
         if (!wasReactText) {
-          return;
+          return panel;
         }
 
         panel.type = 'text';
         delete panel.options.angular;
+        return panel;
       });
     }
 
@@ -577,8 +614,10 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
     if (oldVersion < 28) {
       panelUpgrades.push((panel: PanelModel) => {
         if (panel.type === 'singlestat') {
-          migrateSinglestat(panel);
+          return migrateSinglestat(panel);
         }
+
+        return panel;
       });
 
       for (const variable of this.dashboard.templating.list) {
@@ -627,10 +666,10 @@ export class DashboardMigrator {
 
     for (j = 0; j < this.dashboard.panels.length; j++) {
       for (k = 0; k < panelUpgrades.length; k++) {
-        panelUpgrades[k].call(this, this.dashboard.panels[j]);
+        this.dashboard.panels[j] = panelUpgrades[k].call(this, this.dashboard.panels[j]);
         if (this.dashboard.panels[j].panels) {
           for (n = 0; n < this.dashboard.panels[j].panels.length; n++) {
-            panelUpgrades[k].call(this, this.dashboard.panels[j].panels[n]);
+            this.dashboard.panels[j].panels[n] = panelUpgrades[k].call(this, this.dashboard.panels[j].panels[n]);
           }
         }
       }
@@ -880,7 +919,14 @@ function migrateSinglestat(panel: PanelModel) {
   // If   'grafana-singlestat-panel' exists, move to that
   if (config.panels['grafana-singlestat-panel']) {
     panel.type = 'grafana-singlestat-panel';
-    return;
+    return panel;
+  }
+
+  let returnSaveModel = false;
+
+  if (!panel.changePlugin) {
+    returnSaveModel = true;
+    panel = new PanelModel(panel);
   }
 
   // To make sure PanelModel.isAngularPlugin logic thinks the current panel is angular
@@ -895,12 +941,18 @@ function migrateSinglestat(panel: PanelModel) {
     statPanelPlugin.meta = config.panels['stat'];
     panel.changePlugin(statPanelPlugin);
   }
+
+  if (returnSaveModel) {
+    return panel.getSaveModel();
+  }
+
+  return panel;
 }
 
 function upgradeValueMappingsForPanel(panel: PanelModel) {
   const fieldConfig = panel.fieldConfig;
   if (!fieldConfig) {
-    return;
+    return panel;
   }
 
   fieldConfig.defaults.mappings = upgradeValueMappings(fieldConfig.defaults.mappings, fieldConfig.defaults.thresholds);
@@ -912,6 +964,8 @@ function upgradeValueMappingsForPanel(panel: PanelModel) {
       }
     }
   }
+
+  return panel;
 }
 
 function upgradeValueMappings(oldMappings: any, thresholds?: ThresholdsConfig): ValueMapping[] | undefined {
@@ -982,4 +1036,6 @@ function migrateTooltipOptions(panel: PanelModel) {
       delete panel.options.tooltipOptions;
     }
   }
+
+  return panel;
 }