Norlinder was always inconsistent, everywhere. The idea that he was some great defenseman in Europe is bogus. He had some great stretches, but he was never consistently very good. The prospect pool was much weaker back then, and the regime at the time was eager for some successful prospects. He's back in Europe now so maybe he puts it all together. But as a prospect he was always a small offensive D-Man who had never consistently produced offensively, so in other words, he was always a longshot.
Engstrom has a better frame and a much more solid base of skills than Norlinder. The only reason anyone is comparing them is because they are both Habs drafted Swedish defensemen. Their games aren't similar, and Engstrom had a much better Euro career pre-ELC.
Norlinder should be compared to guys like Victor Mete or other small offensive dmen who haven't ever had great success offensively, like Corey Schueneman or Kale Clague. Problem is, they are harder to find because most of those guys never make the NHL...