When Kesler was drafted I was pretty disappointed... I was very high on Stewart and really wanted to canucks to draft him.
But Kesler's turned out to be a good pick for us.... his upside is definitely not as high as many of the 2003 first rounders... but where he lacks in his total ceiling, he makes up for lack of risk with him - he is already NHL ready and was as an 18 YO when he made the team... although the canucks do not like rushing prospects, they still signed him and gave him NHL time last year... last year he was the youngest player in the AHL as well, and even this year is among the youngest in the league, where most players can't play until they're 20 (with Kesler he's exempt because he's not coming from major junior, but from the NCAA).
he is literally still a boy among men in his league, and still looks more mature than most players on the ice.
I agree his upside is that of a 3rd liner, but that means little today... players like Ricci, Brind'Amor, etc that have been mentioned here have the same upside... they play in the top 6 on weaker teams, and Kesler will be able to do the same, but where such players are most valuable is on a shut-down role - that's what they do best.
Kesler is no different... we have 2 other players who are very valuable to our team that play the same role - Linden and Cooke, and Kesler constantly gets compared to Linden... but with Cooke - he's best in a 3rd line role, but that doesn't reduce his value to the team, and IMO is more valuable to our success than most top 6 players are to their team's success.... Cooke can play on the top unit as he did last season when Bert went down, and did very well, but he's a much bigger asset for us on the 3rd unit.
I see Kesler in the same mold... a guy who can jump into the 2nd line when needed, and one who won't look out of place there, but will likely be an average top 6 player, whereas he can be an elite 3rd line player.
Linden is similar... his stats were bloated in his early days because 1) NHL scoring was up, and 2) the linemates he got on some offensive canuck clubs... but the points he got were essentially from hard work, not from talent with the puck... Kesler carries the same type of intangibles... he's not untalented - he does have hands, and speed to burn (and speed is a huge asset to put up points), but his hands and offensive abilities don't separate him from many other prospects out there... where he is a notch above from most prospects is in other intangibles - defensive ability, faceoffs, character, leadership... these are the things that he will bring his team in his career, and these are the things that are usually ignored by most fans, yet valued highly by teams - and things that carry a team when it matters most - in the playoffs!
Even now there are probably a couple other players picked after Kesler that I probably would have gone with, but they are all higher risks... take Stewart for example - great talent, top notch prospect... his ceiling IMO is much higher than Kesler's. Where he falls short though is risk. Kesler is already NHL ready and at worst he's going to be a 3rd line NHL player - AT WORST. Stewart, while he may be a dominating top liner in the mold of Doan, or Bertuzzi, he may also turn into an Isbister... the risk is simply greater for Stewart than it is for Kesler to be a key part of his team in the future.
Personally, I take that risk... the upside is to good to ignore... but if a team wants to play it safe, which the canucks did, as they want someone soon to come in and play a key role, than Kesler was their man... next hockey season Kesler will be a regular in our lineup, and will quickly move up the depth chart, taking over Linden's spot by the time he retires, and eventually IMO his role on the team as he matures and gets more experienced.... Stewart may be in the lineup next season, but chances of him cracking the lineup and being a key part, of a contending team, is not likely to happen for a few years.