with that retention it will be expensive if so.

Sadly, probably yes. Lavi for some reason just doesn't like him even though he's one of the Caps best players. If TOR got him and played him in the top 6 and gave him PP time he'd absolutely tear it up, easily be over a point per game player. The issue is I don't think there's anything the Caps need from TOR unless you want to send a big piece like Nylander but that's obviously not happening. Caps only need is top 6 wingers or top 4 RHD like Liljegren, which also wouldn't happen.

For that retention... a good prospect and a third, maybe Voit? Or Hirvonen? Most likely answer is the Caps don't do that, because they have said they will compete as long as Ovi is in town, which makes retaining money a lot harder of a sell for MacLellan

Well just need to convince someone else to retain, It’s not out of the question to get a team like Zona or Buffalo to help
in exchange for a 2nd or 3rd

If the combination of cap space / picks and prospects / roster players they get back allows them to make a move for a true top 6 guy like Meier, then absolutely. They won't move him just for the sake of it though, and I doubt they swap for another questionable contract like Boeser given how relatively easy it will be to move him in a trade or buy out in the summer.

If that was the case why wouldn’t the Leafs just use those to get Timo

Theoretically Mantha would be for this season and next, I don't see how TOR can make Timo work as anything but a rental. Definitely understand the sentiment though. Also want to make it clear that they absolutely will not be looking for all 3 of those things at the same time, and I think that if any non-metro team offered to just take the contract for nothing right now they would probably accept. That would also theoretically make the acquisition cost much lower than the Meiers, Horvats, and Kuzmenkos of the world.