As a Forsberg fan I'm upset at this comparison!! It makes him look bad.
They are two totally different kinds of player but Esposito is clearly better from all I've ever seen and known. I'd take Messier over him, but barely, and Yzerman isn't far behind. They are the highest echelon of hockey perfection, below the hockey gods of course.
(If it even needs saying: Among forwards, Gretzky and Lemieux are the hockey gods. It's unfair to every other forward to even try and compare them to those two.)
Forsberg, Jagr and Fedorov are all on par, in my opinion, as among those on the third tier of greatness, with super skills in some areas of their game.
Imagine one player combining Forsberg's passing, vision and strength on his skates, with Jagr's size, shot and nose for the net and with Fedorov's skating, movement and defensive ability. Then you'd be justified in putting him in the class of Esposito, Messier and Howe.
I take nothing away from any of them. These are all the heroes of my life.