[13] As a young hockey player, Kesler looked up to North Stars center and fellow Livonia native Mike Modano as a role model.

At the 2003 CCHA Tournament, Kesler scored two goals as the Buckeye's finished in fourth place, losing to Northern Michigan 4–1 in the third-place game.

[18] At the tournament, Ohio State suffered a 1–0 loss to Boston College in the opening round of the East Regional at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, ending both the team's and Kesler's season.

[21] Upon being drafted, Kesler considered returning to Ohio State for his sophomore season or joining the Brampton Battalion, who still held his OHL rights.

[30] Kesler added an additional nine points in 14 playoff games as the Moose advanced to the Western Conference finals before being swept by the Chicago Wolves.

[32] The offer sheet from Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke was the first in the NHL since the Tampa Bay Lightning extended one to Brett Hauer in July 1999.

[32] The move was highly controversial, with many NHL general managers criticizing how Kesler's inflated salary would affect future free agent signings.

[36] In comparison to his previous contract, facilitated by the Flyers' offer sheet, the deal represented a $150,000 pay cut in terms of average annual salary.

[39][40] Over the course of the season, Kesler established himself as a solid two-way center, scoring what was then a career-high 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points in 80 games and playing a regular shutdown role against opposing teams' top players and on the penalty kill with linemate Alexandre Burrows.

[42] While he at first continued to play on the third line in a largely defensive role with Burrows, head coach Alain Vigneault eventually split the duo in the midst of a poor January for the team.

[46] Kesler gained additional recognition on a league-wide basis as a Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist along with Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers.

[58] Following the 2009–10 campaign, he was a Selke Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season, opposite Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As Canucks management waited until the beginning of the 2010–11 season to announce his replacement, Kesler was seen by media and fans as a strong candidate, alongside Henrik Sedin.

[68] Kesler was chosen to be an alternate captain alongside Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green representing Eric Staal's team.

[70] Prior to the Canucks' final home game of the regular season on April 7, Kesler was presented with the team's Most Exciting Player Award, as voted by the fans.

After opening the 2011 playoffs with a seven-game, first-round victory over the eighth-seeded and defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Canucks faced the Nashville Predators in the second round.

[74] Playing the San Jose Sharks in the third round, Kesler appeared to injure either his left hip or groin while pursuing opposing defenseman Dan Boyle in the series' deciding fifth game on May 24, 2011.

[75] After leaving the bench for several shifts and with the Canucks down 2–1 near the end of the game, he returned to score the game-tying goal on Sharks’ goaltender Antti Niemi, tipping a Henrik Sedin shot with 13.2 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Canucks went on to win 3–2 in double-overtime against the second-seeded Sharks with Kevin Bieksa scoring the game and series winner on Niemi, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

[77] Prior to the Finals, he was believed by many in the media to be a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP if the Canucks were to win the Cup.

[81] On June 22, a week after the Canucks' Game 7 loss in the Finals, Kesler was awarded the Selke Trophy after finishing as a runner-up the previous two years.

Unrelated to his labrum tear in January 2007, he had adopted a program to recuperate from the injury naturally until a specialist advised him to have surgery in late July 2011.

Shortly after the Canucks were eliminated from the 2012 playoffs, it was revealed Kesler had been playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder since February 9, 2012, in a 5–2 win over the Minnesota Wild and he underwent surgery for the injury on May 8.

[88][89] Initially expected to have recovered by mid-November, his rehabilitation was extended for several months due to an additional wrist injury which he received surgery for in late-June.

[92] Despite Kesler's injury-troubles, the Canucks as a team remained a consistent playoff contender after having finished the lockout-shortened season as the third seed in the Western Conference.

[112] On March 21, 2022, the remainder of Kesler's NHL contract was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights along with John Moore as part of a deal that saw Evgenii Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick in the 2023 or 2024 draft go to Anaheim.

[123] After Canadian goaltender Marc-André Fleury cleared the puck off of teammate Braydon Coburn and into his own net, the Americans took the lead 4–3 and went on to win their first IIHF World U20 Championship in the tournament's history.

[128] Having developed into a top defensive forward in recent seasons, Kesler was an early candidate to be selected to the American team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, at the time the city in which he played his NHL hockey.

With United States up by a goal in the final minute, Kesler dove past opposing forward Corey Perry to score an empty-netter and secure the 5–3 win.

The United States ultimately lost by a score of 3–2 in overtime on Sidney Crosby's game-winning goal, so Kesler and his teammates settled for the silver medal.