Yes they are!
Premier more valuable in 90-91 due to smaller print runs. Yes.
I think you're making some of the differences in the rules out to be slightly more complicated than they actually are.
The jersey they're wearing... action shot vs Draft picture... none of that matters. Team Canada, Oshawa Generals, Red Army, Detroit Red Wings, Action or Pose: None of that is of consequence with what constitutes a rookie card.
Is it an NHL licensed set? Is this a BASE SET? Is it the player's first card in this type of set? (Well, first year that they got a card like this... they can have multiple RCs in the same season).
The Federov Red Army card is not a RC, because (as you mentioned) it's an insert. It's not part of the base set, therefore not a RC.
The Karyia - That came in 91-92. There was a Czech Republic (or was it still Czechoslovakia??) released UD set, 100 cards, for the World Junior Championships. Most of the players with WJC Cards in 91-92 UD Series 2 - they use the same photos (the front of the card is basically identical, it uses that same design).
I suspect that this Czech-language set had no NHL license, and it also doesn't meat a "widely distributed" requirement that also denies RC status mail in boxset cards like 91-92 Parkhurst Bill Guerrin & Ray Whitney (listed as 'XRC').
Brodeur & Lindros are easy. As I said: The jersey (and pose) doesn't matter one bit. Those are their first cards in NHL licensed sets, so they're rookie cards. Score was the only one who thought to include Brodeur that year... and they signed Lindros to an exclusive deal, which let them make all sorts of cards of him prior to joining the NHL 2 years later. (The PA also banned future deals like this).
The Lidstrom UD Rookies are one of the few that gets dicey. If the Sweden card in Series 1 doesn't exist, then the YG in Series 2 is called a rookie card by everyone - because it fits the definition to a tee. A card in Series 1 leaves some people believing that only it should be a RC. I don't really have a problem with either argument - and it's basically a one off in the history of hockey cards, so I don't think it's actually that important to be right. Just get an OPC Premier or Pankhurst, and be sure you picked up the right one 
I did mention Palffy earlier too - and his card muddies the waters even more. Same issue as Lidstrom, but they're both in Series 1. Again... I think you can argue that BOTH are rookie cards... and it doesn't really matter. The list of players with multiple rookie cards in the same set, is fewer than 10.
Beckett - to some degree - has tried to dictate what a rookie card is. Some follow their definition, some don't.
For the 90s, and most of the 00's, a rookie card had to meet this criteria:
- NHL Licensed set
- First year that the player had cards in an NHL licensed set
- Must be part of the base set (i.e. NOT parallels or inserts)
- Must be from a widely distributed set (i.e. not regionally distributed, not mail order)
- Must have at least 99 copies
For years, the early 00's Titanium RCs #ed to a player's jersey # - They were not recognized by Beckett as RCs... those most collectors I ever talked to did recognize them as such. When Panini brought back the jersey #ing in Titanium, and Upper Deck followed suit doing it in SPGU - Beckett dropped that requirement... and I'm pretty sure changed the old Pacific stuff to read as RCs too.
"Widely Distributed" had always kept cards from sets like McDonald's (now Tim Horton's), Update Box Sets, Walmart Exclusive Ovation from being called "Rookie Cards". The Crosby McDonald's RC changed that. Beckett initially didn't call it a Rookie Card, and people were mad. I suspect a lot of that had to do with the fact that people wanted to own a Crosby RC, and spend $10 or less on it... but the hobby said it's a RC, so Beckett tagged it as such. Other McDonald's cards - that would otherwise qualify as a RC - are also tagged as RC now. I assume this is true of Tim Horton's cards too.
This is the first I've ever heard that someone thinks the McDonalds card should be considered more valuable. *IF* you place any value on the first one to be released... then yes, that's McDonalds, but that might be a reason to own it over a Victory or MVP rookie, not the YG.
There's probably something like 25k YGs in circulation, and 250k McDonald's cards.
I don't think licensed manufacturers can keep track of their own distribution dates these days... nor stick by them. You'll read "October 3rd" as a release day, then read about a delay, and when it finally drops on October 24 - no product info is ever updated. I think this would be very tough info for Beckett to keep track of (accurately). Granted, they could just start tracking it "today" and have accurate info going forward.
I suspect they don't worry about it, because few people care. Release dates don't matter much. We'll have four or five 18-19 releases out before the final 17-18 release.
