I think it matters for a few reasons.
The obvious one is that without a Speaker nothing can happen in the House which means no legislation can happen, appropriations bills are not voted upon, etc. In short, the thing they were elected to do, and that we need them to do, is not happening.
The second reason is an offshoot of the first. Without a functioning House, all legislation/bills are going to be crafted by the Senate. That means Democrats get to go first with all legislative business. They get to set the anchor for any negotiations on a bill. And anchoring in negotiations is very important.
The third reason, is that if the Republicans want to maintain control over the House, never mind regain control of the Senate and/or the White House, it would be helpful to not be perceived by voters as a bunch of bungling amateurs who cannot even elect a leader among their ranks, or keep the one they elected, never mind actually run the country. I think one big thing that the Freedom Caucus misses is that in pursuing their goals with scorched earth tactics, they make it almost impossible to achieve their goals. As a younger man I found it tempting to do stuff like that, too. But now I call it 30 seconds of satisfaction for a lifetime of regret.
I am sure others can think of a few more reasons to add.