--- a/src/hotspot/share/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp	Mon Aug 06 13:57:26 2018 -0400
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp	Mon Aug 06 14:20:58 2018 -0400
@@ -568,6 +568,7 @@
     if (log_is_enabled(Info, exceptions)) {
       ResourceMark rm;
       stringStream tempst;
+      assert(nm->method() != NULL, "Unexpected NULL method()");
       tempst.print("compiled method <%s>\n"
                    " at PC" INTPTR_FORMAT " for thread " INTPTR_FORMAT,
                    nm->method()->print_value_string(), p2i(pc), p2i(thread));

--- a/src/hotspot/share/code/compiledIC.cpp	Mon Aug 06 13:57:26 2018 -0400
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/code/compiledIC.cpp	Mon Aug 06 14:20:58 2018 -0400
@@ -252,6 +252,7 @@
 
   if (TraceICs) {
     ResourceMark rm;
+    assert(!call_info->selected_method().is_null(), "Unexpected null selected method");
     tty->print_cr ("IC@" INTPTR_FORMAT ": to megamorphic %s entry: " INTPTR_FORMAT,
                    p2i(instruction_address()), call_info->selected_method()->print_value_string(), p2i(entry));
   }

--- a/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciRuntime.cpp	Mon Aug 06 13:57:26 2018 -0400
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciRuntime.cpp	Mon Aug 06 14:20:58 2018 -0400
@@ -281,6 +281,7 @@
     if (log_is_enabled(Info, exceptions)) {
       ResourceMark rm;
       stringStream tempst;
+      assert(cm->method() != NULL, "Unexpected null method()");
       tempst.print("compiled method <%s>\n"
                    " at PC" INTPTR_FORMAT " for thread " INTPTR_FORMAT,
                    cm->method()->print_value_string(), p2i(pc), p2i(thread));

--- a/src/hotspot/share/oops/metadata.cpp	Mon Aug 06 13:57:26 2018 -0400
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/oops/metadata.cpp	Mon Aug 06 14:20:58 2018 -0400
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2011, 2012, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2011, 2018, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
  * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
  *
  * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
@@ -44,10 +44,6 @@
 char* Metadata::print_value_string() const {
   char buf[256];
   stringStream st(buf, sizeof(buf));
-  if (this == NULL) {
-    st.print("NULL");
-  } else {
-    print_value_on(&st);
-  }
+  print_value_on(&st);
   return st.as_string();
 }