Eh, I think it's safe to say Babs wasn't Jiri Hudler's biggest fan. But it didn't keep Babs from playing Hudler. Hudler had 400 NHL games and 66 playoff games as a Red Wing. Babs is not going to sacrifice winning by keeping a guy out of the lineup if he can actually contribute. He pulled Hasek in the 2008 playoffs and replaced him with Osgood. He replaced Osgood with Howard during Howard's rookie season.
Babs played Hudler because he didn't have an option. Hudler was out of minor league options. So Babcock stuck him on the fourth line, and then he was later moved to the third until his final season as a Red Wing.
Also, Babcock didn't "replace Osgood" but rather, Osgood was out with the flu and Howard came in to play a few games in a row. And Howard stayed hot; Babcock was reluctant to take him out and Osgood - who had been playing well when he went out - went cold and didn't do well in spot starts the rest of that season.
Hudler was used to the best of his abilities. He largely played on a line with Filppula who is a playmaker. Hudler was expected to score goals. Hudler got top 6 time last season and was utilized mostly as a middle six offensive forward. His minutes got cut when you were ahead and grew when you were behind. Hudler also got lots of time on the power play.
Are you suggesting Huds should have been on the PK as well?
Hudler played in the top six and was expected to score goals. And he scored 23 goals at even strength, most on the team. He was one of only three players in the entire league to break 20 ESG in under 14 minutes per game. He was horribly misused on the PP though; Babcock had him playing the point for more than half of the season, when Hudler is FAR more effective at forward on the PP. So he scored 2 goals and 8 assists on the PP, giving him 25-25-50 total. He was one of only three players to score 25 goals in under 16 minutes per game.
But yeah, he was terrible at his goal-scoring role.