Speaking as someone who really likes all three of them, this is very hard to call. Like, very hard.
Basically, Sakic and Yzerman fulfill a certain paradigm that we demand of franchise players. Not just that they’re top-level elite talents, but also having a winning narrative and being two of the most respected men in the game. They both went through some rocky years, and were very fortunate to be on the scene when their franchises went nova. As a result they go down as playoff warriors on top of everything else.
Ovechkin doesn’t fit that paradigm so closely. He’s brash, routinely disrespected, plays a relatively limited role compared to two great all-round centerman. In a lot of ways he’s the heel, like a Marchand or Messier. But then again… he’s got a solid case as the best goal scorer ever. He’s definitely got a case as the most physically punishing player in that conversation. He’s intense, willful, doesn’t go down without a fight. In terms of players who you want to hard-match with a shadow because he’s capable of turning a game singlehandedly, he’s more dangerous than either of the other two.
I don’t know who I take between them and I don’t have a strong gut feeling for how I rank them. Certainly I would say they’re all as great as each other, and there’s still a small window for Ovie to clinch his case.