The 'Malkin Rule'

Last years playoffs produced the Avery Rule after Gary Bettman's whipping boy used some clever tactics to screen Martin Brodeur. This years Stanley Cup Finals has also produced another rule, the 'Malkin Rule'. The NHL can now (well they always have been able too) determine which players should or shouldn't be suspended when the rules call for one. Very convenient, wouldn't want the star of the NHL's poster-team to be suspended in the Finals, that just wouldn't be good for TV ratings. 

Evgeni Malkin was called for an instigator after he jumped Henrik Zetterberg. It wasn't anything excessive or really all that dangerous since Zetterberg, who was forced to oblige, defended himself. As outlined by Steve Zipay, "instigating in the last five minutes" rule 47, etc...calls for a suspension "pending review" by the league overlords. Yeah, pending league review, could this be interpreted as a loophole for the NHL to exercise its agenda? Keep in mind, that this is the same Evgeni Malkin who sloo footed Paul Mara, not once but twice, during last years playoffs against the Rangers and wasn't even penalized. 

Just for the sake of argument, lets say that it was a player who wasn't regarded as a star who attacked Zetterberg, would he have been suspended as the rules dictate? Now we all the know the answer to this question, if it were Sean Avery doing the exact same thing as Malkin did, would he have been suspended? 

Of course he would have been. It's clear cut that the NHL has separate rules for different players. It can even be argued that there are separate rules for different teams.