If one of the issues is players staying in the SMJHL too long why not add some type of incentive for players to make the jump to the SHL?

Maybe tie in a bonus that doesn't effect the SHL cap.

Here are some random numbers but

500 TPE - 3M Bonus
650 TPE - 2M Bonus
700 TPE - 1M Bonus

Longer you wait down in the SMJHL, the less of a bonus you'll earn. You can also tie in years into this mix as well if you wanted.