There's little stopping the Toronto Maple Leafs from drafting Mitch Marner at fourth overall, except maybe the Coyotes, so when Arizona selected Dylan Strome at third overall, it really came down to two players: Mitch Marner or Noah Hanifin.
In the end, the Leafs newfound drafting philosophy, consistent remarks from managers Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas that present skill as being first and foremost, and Marner's connections to former London Knights brass Lindsay Hofford (now an amateur scout with the Leafs, formerly London's Director of Scouting and Marner's AAA coach) and Mark Hunter (London GM turned Leafs Director of Player Development), made it seem like the obvious choice.