We went through a period of down-years where guys like Lindros and Forsberg looked like they could have been the best in the world, but couldn't maintain their health consistently enough to prove it. That left Jagr who was a fantastic player but just didn't "feel" quite like a Gretzky/Lemieux/Crosby/McDavid caliber generational player.
IMO, that down period lasted from the end of Lemieux's prime around 1997 until the lockout, when the Crosby/Ovechkin duo and a bunch of rested-up superstars helped get things back on track. IMO Crosby has had the best career of this era and is therefore the natural answer to the question.