Copyright 1991 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc. St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 23, 1991, MONDAY, FIVE STAR Edition SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 1C LENGTH: 977 words HEADLINE: BLUES GET RON SUTTER, DEFENSEMAN ... BRIND'AMOUR, QUINN DEALT TO PHILADELPHIA BYLINE: Dave Luecking Of the Post-Dispatch Staff BODY: CHICAGO - Coach Brian Sutter continued to put his stamp on the Blues on Sundaywith another family reunion. At Sutter's behest, the Blues reunited his younger twin brothers Ron and Rich, acquiring Ron from the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that may dim captain Scott Stevens' hopes of returning to the Blues without a court fight. Defenseman Murray Baron, 24, also was part of the deal as the Blues tried to fill the massive hole on defense left by Stevens. An arbitrator transferred Stevens' rights to New Jersey as compensation for losing free-agent Brendan Shanahan to the Blues. The Blues gave Philadelphia left winger Rod Brind'Amour, whom they offered in their compensation package for Shanahan, and center Dan Quinn, acquired with Garth Butcher in a four-for-two deal with the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline last season. Brind'Amour and Quinn could have been the major components in a deal to get Stevens back, if his refusal to report and a $500,000 trade clause in his contract forced New Jersey to deal him back to the Blues. The Blues dismissed that possibility with the acquisition of Baron. Blues general manager Ron Caron indicated the Blues are preparing for life without Stevens. ''There's no doubt that the absence of Scott Stevens creates a major void in our defense,'' Caron said. ''We've liked what we've seen in Jason Marshall and Rob Robinson, but there's no doubt we needed to do something.'' Baron, the Flyers' seventh-round pick in 1986, beefs up the Blues' defense. At 6 feet 3 and 215 pounds, Baron has a reputation as a solid defensive player. In 83 games with the Flyers over two seasons, he has 20 points and 86 penalty minutes. Caron said he wants to ''acquire a veteran defenseman before the start of the season,'' and he wasn't referring to Stevens. He said Stevens ''has been out'' of the Blues' plans. ''We're prepared to play with our team, and he's not on our roster,'' he said, dismissing the idea that New Jersey would consider trading back Stevens. ''Based on our talks before the compensation hearing, it's far-fetched that they'd even phone me.'' Brian Sutter bristled when the subject of family ties came up. ''I don't give a (darn if his name is Sutter or Jones,'' he said. ''Ronnie's known as one of the best two-way players in the NHL, and players like that are hard to find. ''They accept defensive responsibility and contribute offensively. Ronnie will get a chance to play more of an offensive role with us.'' Ron Sutter tentatively is penciled in as the No. 2 center, Quinn's old spot. The trade confirmed speculation that Quinn, a gifted offensive player not known for his defensive play, wouldn't be with the Blues long. In 14 games with the Blues, Quinn had four goals and seven assists for 11 points. He matched those totals in 13 playoff games. Quinn, 26, has 558 points, on 221 goals and 337 assists, in 591 games in eight National Hockey League seasons. In nine NHL seasons and 555 games, Sutter, 27, has 137 goals and 222 assists for 359 points. Ron Sutter is generally regarded as marginally more skilled than his twin brother, a hard-working grinder with limited offensive skills. ''Ronnie's not Richie,'' Caron said. ''He's capable of playing on the second line with interesting results. He's capable of putting 70 points on the board.'' Ron Sutter's career high was 60 points in the 1985-86 season. He's scored more than 20 goals twice in his career, with a high of 26 in the 1988-89 season. Last season, he had 45 points - 17 goals and 28 assists - in 80 games, playing mostly on the third line. Ron Sutter could move to right wing to create a spot for rookie Nelson Emerson, who has starred in preseason after generating 115 points last season in Peoria. ''There would have been no ice time for Quinn,'' Caron said. Quinn said he knew something was up. ''I was sure that sooner or later with the way the team plays that guys like Roddie and me were expendable,'' Quinn said. ''With Brett Hull and Adam Oates, and two guys who can score 30 in Shanahan and Dave Christian, plus the checking line, there's not a lot of ice time.'' With Shanahan and Christian ahead of Brind'Amour, Caron said, the Blues' No. 1 pick in 1988 would have had his ice time severely diminished. ''We didn't think he could have played a great role with this team this year,'' said Caron, noting that prospects Dave Roberts and Denny Felsner would have made that difficult in the future, too. ''It's not a question of achievement with him. We know he'll achieve.'' Brind'Amour, 21, fell out of favor with Blues management during a difficult sophomore season. After making the NHL All-Rookie team with 61 points - 26 goals and 35 assists - in the 1989-90 season, he slipped to 49 points last season, on 17 goals and 32 assists. Caron's remarks about Brind'Amour lend credence to arguments New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello made against the Blues' proposal in the Shanahan case. Lamoriello said Brind'Amour w as nothing more than a third- or fourth-line player with an uncertain future and therefore not equitable compensation for a player of Shanahan's stature. ''I told him he's getting a new opportunity in his career,'' Caron said. ''He'll be a regular with them, and get a lot of ice time. He's going to succeed.'' Brind'Amour is determined to do just that. ''Going to a new team, I'll get a new start and get a chance to do what I can do and prove the Blues wrong,'' Brind'Amour said. AT A GLANCE A look at the careers of Ron Sutter and Murray Baron with Philadelphia. Ron Sutter Center Age 27 Year G A Pts PIM 1982-83 1 1 2 9 1983-84 19 32 51 101 1984-85 16 29 45 94 1985-86 18 42 60 159 1986-87 10 18 28 69 1987-88 8 25 33 146 1988-89 26 22 48 80 1989-90 22 26 48 104 1990-91 17 28 45 92 Murray Baron Defense Age 24 Year G A Pts PIM 1989-90 2 2 4 12 1990-91 8 8 16 74